Riptide
by Kait Erven
Summary: Kai meets Paul and her whole life changes. So does his. Follow the pair on their journey of discovery and exploration as they find their love for each other growing more intense every day that passes. PAULxOC. Lemons. Heed the warning. Also includes other pairings throughout the story.
1. Sketch

**A/N:** Hey guys! Hope you enjoy my new story. I'm hoping to really get into this one, I love the character I created and who doesn't love Paul? Thanks for reading and please review! Reviews will always prompt me to update more often and with better, more inspired content! Love you all and hope you enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I unfortunately don't own twilight or any of the wolf pack. I do, however, like to make them do fun things! Hehe. All credit goes to SM.

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I clutch my purse nervously and quickly open the door to the tattoo shop before I can chicken out.

"Hey, Kai!" Perry calls out happily and walks up to the front desk. Lainey is at her station tattooing a very muscular man who was accompanied by a small statured woman with thin black hair and a sassy look on her face. The man doesn't look too happy with her.

"Hi, P," I grin as he wiggles his eyebrows at me,

"It's weird for you to be on the other side of the counter," he comments and pulls out the stencil of the tattoo I had been anxiously waiting to get for what seems like forever. He was right, I was usually the one perched on the other side of the counter with a sketchbook in hand, practicing my techniques. Although I loved being the receptionist, my main goal was to have a tattoo machine in hand by the end of the year.

"I know," I say and then hesitate before adding, "I'm nervous, P," I feel my eyes grow wide as I inch toward the counter and take in the size of the stencil. It's gorgeous, of course, but huge.

"Don't be, you've been saving for this since you turned 18 and started working here," he said and gave me a wink, this is why I loved Perry. He always had a way to make me feel relaxed.

"I know," I relent and then look at the design again. It was a tribal design running from just below my armpit to my ankle on the left side of my body. "I love it," I say as I trace the lines with my finger tips,

"So, here's the gameplan, kid" he says and leans over the counter, "We'll start with the painful parts and work from there. I think if we knock out the ribs and the hips first we should be free sailing from there,"

"What should I expect?" I say, nibbling on my bottom lip, "pain wise, I mean."

"Well, ribs are gonna hurt like a bitch, honestly. The liner is gonna be searing pain, coloring it in isn't going to be much better. Hips will be the same since you're pretty boney in both areas," I raise my eyebrows at him and look down at my chest and then back at my butt.

"Boney?" I question and hold back a smirk,

"Well I'm not tattooing your tits or asscheeks!" He exclaims in defense, "You're skinny so your hip bones and ribs stick out a little,"

"Yeah, Kai, it's not a matter of whether your titties and ass are huge," Lainey winks and hip checks me, appearing at the counter as her client heads to the bathroom. She sips her tea as I give her a dirty look but then smile.

"Alright, let's get started! Chop, chop!" Perry exclaims suddenly, making me and Lainey jump. "But first I need a kiss from my woman!"

I look away as they lock lips, feeling uncomfortable. I walk over to Perry's station and start setting it up while they're busy doing… their thing. I reach into the top drawer of his work cabinet and pull out the cute star pasties I took the liberty to order last week so I can cover myself without the use of masking tape. I turn and face the back of the shop as I lift off my shirt, leaving me in just my bra. I can feel a pair of eyes on me as I turn discreetly to my left and see the woman who had accompanied Lainey's client. She was looking right at me, unashamedly watching me with jealousy clearly written on her face. I blush furiously and pull the curtain partly shut so she couldn't see me anymore. I didn't know what her problem was but I really didn't need her staring at me. I wasn't anything to blink at anyways, I was pretty unextraordinary. I shake my head and banish the insecure thoughts from my mind. I chew on my lip before reaching back and unclasping my bra, I still hold it up to cover my breasts until the shop is completely vacant, save Perry and Lainey. I watch through the partially opened curtain as the man exits the bathroom with a smile on his face, Lainey asks him if he likes the new addition to his skin and he nods. I catch myself admiring the way his muscled shoulders and arms flex as he reaches for his jacket. The girl stands and moves to his side, she tries to hang onto his arm but he shakes her off. I blush, knowing very well that I shouldn't be fawning over a taken man but he was remarkable. His muscled back was visible through the fabric of his white shirt that was almost too tight for his own good… And mine. I suppose it was hard to find a shirt that would fit the size of him. He looked like a bodybuilder.

Just as I was going to look away and duck behind the curtain, he turns around and locks eyes with me. My breath catches in my throat as I clutch my bra tightly to my chest, I feel exposed. His chocolate eyes never leave mine as I scramble for something to say. Even from my spot I can see his eyes dilating as we stood there, staring at each other. I want to look away but I can't, it's like he's holding me captive with his gaze. I'm paralyzed, cemented to my place as his eyes widen and travel down my body, lingering at my chest and stomach. Reflexively, I cover my stomach with my free hand, which breaks whatever spell had come over me. His eyes dart up to mine as he frowns, a scowl marring his beautiful features. He inclines his head in a nod,

"Hey," he says simply to me and walks up to the counter, throwing some money down. "Keep the change," he mutters and turns to leave. He spares one last glance in my direction, sending sparks of electricity through my body as he exits the shop.

" _Oh my god_ , what the hell was that?" Lainey exclaims and rushes up to me, "He was looking at you like he wanted you for breakfast, lunch _and_ dinner!"

"Whatever," I mutter and hold out the pasties for her to help me with their application; I've never used them before.

"Okay, but seriously, Kai. I can totally get his number for you. I have it in the books," Lainey says and I gasp, slapping her shoulder lightly.

"Lainey, that's illegal. You can't do that!" I exclaim and she shrugs,

"I'd go to jail for you," she winks but then her face turns serious, "but for real, it's not like he'd be mad that you got his number. He was so into you it should be outlawed,"

"He's way out of my league," I say and try to picture myself with him; it's comical. I was just an art nerd, always covered in clay and paint spatters, my fingers were constantly black from using charcoal. He was some sort of god, I swear, perfectly muscled and his skin tone a smooth russet color. He deserved a model, not an artist. I don't know where Lainey got the idea that he was into me, all he said was 'hey' and he looked at my boobs, which were every guy's weakness, honestly.

"Whatever you say," she says in a sing song voice and walks away, I hear her tell Perry that I'm ready and he walks to his station, patting the table.

"Ready?" He asks and gives me a wide smile,

"Ready as I'll ever be!" I exclaim nervously and lay on my side while he gets started.

The pain of getting tattooed was okay, definitely manageable. The only time I cried out in pain was when he went over my ribs, which he had predicted. My hips didn't hurt much, neither did anywhere else. I was pleasantly surprised.

"I can't believe you lasted for the full ten hours," he laughed and shook his head as he cleaned off all the blood and ink that had been weeping out of the tattoo. I laughed and got up, stretching out my body. It felt nice to stand after such a long time laying down. I stood in front of the mirror and admired how the tattoo flowed with my body, making me look taller and leaner than I had ever looked before. I reached for my jeans but Perry stopped me, offering a black pair of Lainey's cloth shorts. I cast a quick glance out the window, it was raining of course, just like it always does in Forks. I grimace but pull the shorts on and forgo my bra, I didn't want anything rubbing on my raw skin.

"Thank you so much, Perry," I say and pull him into a big hug. I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I'm physically exhausted and I feel it in every ounce of my body.

"Any time, Kai. Now go home and rest, take the day off tomorrow, you're gonna be really sore." P says and gives me a proud smile, I'm filled with warmth.

"Are you sure you can manage?" I ask and lean against the counter with my good side. I feel my eyes droop, feeling sleepy. Maybe it would be good to have a day off tomorrow. Sleeping in sounds amazing right now.

"Yeah, don't worry about it! You just get some rest and make sure that thing gets some proper care. You know the deal," he says and motions for me to leave. I drop the cash I owe him on the counter and wave,

"See ya later, babe!" Lainey calls from the back before the door shuts behind me.

My previous observation of the weather was wrong, it wasn't just raining; it's pouring. Like someone was dumping buckets of water over the town.

Clashes of thunder and bolts of lightening were playing tag in the sky. I jog to my car and struggle with my keys.

"You sure you're okay to drive?" A deep voice sounds from behind me, my heart jumps up into my throat as I whirl around to see who had snuck up on me so easily. I was met by a pair of dark brown eyes that reminded me of creamy dark chocolate. I swallow thickly and try to grasp onto a response.

"W-what?" I stutter stupidly, clutching my keys tightly in my hand. I blink a few times and then dare myself to really look at the man standing before me. He is shirtless, I notice his smooth russet skin has steam rolling off it, almost like it was evaporating the rain, he wore a pair of jeans to cover his muscular legs with running shoes adorning his feet. I find my eyes lingering on his muscled chest and delicious abs, I had never seen a twelve pack in person before this moment. I feel pulses of electricity coursing through my veins as I observe this beautiful man, starting in my heart and moving outwards.

"You look like you're going to pass out," he replies, his eyes narrowing as he gives me a once over. His intense gaze steals my breath from me. I can feel my head start to spin and my cheeks turn red with embarrassment.

"Um, I think I should be okay… My blood sugar is low, I just need something to eat-"

"Eat this," he says and hands me a protein bar from his back pocket before I can even finish my sentence. I looked skeptically from the bar to him before taking it,

"Thanks," I meet his gaze and I turn even redder than I already am. He raises his eyebrows at me and then sighs harshly,

"Where do you live? I'm not letting you get behind the wheel," he holds out his hand for me to place my keys; it's now my turn to raise my eyebrows.

"I don't even know who you are. I shouldn't let a stranger drive me home, now should I?" I argue. He is silent for a moment while he thinks. His mouth turns downward into a frown and I'm momentarily captivated by his beautiful features. It should be illegal for a man to be so damn attractive. I would love to draw him, I blush at the thought of him sitting naked in front of me as I sketch. I also feel a tingling sensation start between my legs. I shift uncomfortably.

"My name is Paul," he says, his voice has grown deeper, I can hear a faint growl in it's undertone and he has an intense look on his face as his eyes bore into mine. Paul. I turn his name over and over in my head. _Paul_ , my handsome mystery man.

"I'm Kai," I introduce myself. I'm shocked to hear that my voice wavers slightly and comes out substantially breathier than I had intended it to. I feel my legs move of their own accord, bringing me a step closer to Paul. He eyes the new, closer distance between us and a smirk springs to his lips.

"Kai…" He utters my name just above a whisper and my eyes nearly roll to the back of my head as a wave of pleasure comes over me. His voice is so sensual, it's hard for me to comprehend that this is actually happening. I can hear myself panting as I reach out and steady myself on the side of the car, Paul is watching me closely as I peek up at him through my lashes. He's quite a bit taller than me, I notice.

I hear wolves howl in the distance and the spell between Paul and I break as he looks towards the woods. I can't read his expression as he turns back towards me, it almost looks like he's in pain. It breaks my heart into little shattered pieces to see him this way.

"Alright, I've got to get you home." He says a little hurriedly, I nod as the wolves howl in the distance again; they seem closer than before.

"They sound close," I comment, Paul is looking towards the woods again, he seems angry.

"Are you scared?" He asks, locking his eyes on mine once more,

"Of the wolves?" I ask, "why would I be scared of them?"

"Most people are,"

"Well, I'm not like most people,"

"We'll see." He chuckles under his breath and then grabs my keys that are now so loosely held in my hand I'm surprised they haven't ended up on the ground.

"Where do you live?" He repeats the question from earlier with urgency. I notice that he keeps glancing towards the woods.

Against my better judgement, I tell Paul where I live as we get in the car. For some reason, I don't feel embarrassed to tell him where I live. I don't make a ton of money so my apartment is less than fancy, normally I tell my friends and dates to meet me at the tattoo shop when I make plans. It does the trick though and holds all my art supplies, which is all I can really ask for. I direct Paul to the parking lot out back, he pulls into the last parking spot and turns off the car. Silence envelops us for a moment before I decide to speak,

"I'm not going to ever see you again, am I?" I ask, I feel panic sinking into my bones for some unknown reason. This guy is making me lose my damn mind. Paul sighs and lets his head fall back onto the headrest, he laughs out loud and brings his hands up to run them through his hair. My hands itch to do the same.

"I'm not good for you," I frown at his answer and scoff, feeling bolder than I ever have been.

"Do you normally make decisions for perfectly capable people?" I inquire, this remark earns his attention.

"No," he says stubbornly and then opens the car door, "I've got to go." I suddenly feel regretful that I had picked this moment to lash out at him and be sassy. I just threw out all my chances of getting a date with him, if I ever even had a chance in the first place.

I let myself into my apartment and close the door, locking the deadbolt and sliding the chain lock into place. I lean against the door and let out a breath that I didn't realize I had been holding. _What the fuck was that_? I ask myself as I walk across my entry way into my living room and throw myself onto the couch, face first. I let out a frustrated scream into the cushions and roll over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling in defeat. My thoughts were flying through my head at a million miles per hour, most of them pertaining to the fact that he shouldn't have even wanted to be seen with me. I close my eyes and picture him holding my hand, I literally laugh out loud when I see it. We're totally mismatched. The only thing we had in common is that we both had tattoos. Paul was a million light years out of my league and the only thing that would get him off my mind now was to do house work, the cure all to an overactive imagination. If I start daydreaming about him and I together I would be heartbroken if I never see him again, I know this because I've never had a boyfriend and I'm almost twenty-two years old. I become easily attached.

For the rest of the day I clean. The kitchen, the bathroom, and even my bedroom are now spotless but my mind is far from being in the same condition. I sit at the edge of the bathtub, gently washing my new tattoo as my mind wanders to thoughts of Paul. His jet black hair that look so soft and his chocolate eyes that melted me with a single touch. I didn't even want to begin thinking about his body… God, he was perfect. I bet that girl he was with at the tattoo shop was his girlfriend. She was pretty and definitely had the Quileute look to her, high cheek bones, black eyes and a slim figure. When you compared me to her, she definitely took the cake. I stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom and examine myself, I was… Alright. I definitely wasn't going to complain about my looks because I could be much worse but there was stuff that I would change if given the chance. I have dark brown hair, the blonde streaks running wildly through it were natural, thanks to my Polynesian heritage. I have almond shaped, green eyes and plump lips, my skin is a beautiful sun kissed tan that last all year round, even through all of the rain here in Washington. I also can thank my Hawaiian heritage for my curvy body, that comes straight from my mom's side of the family. My dad gave me my high cheekbones, straight nose, and all of my non physical attributes, like my artistry and my shy nature. He was Nez Perce. I catch a glimpse of my tattoo while thinking about my dad's tribe, this makes me smile. He would have been so proud to see me wear a tribal tattoo on my skin, I also think of how disappointed my mother would be to know that I had gotten a tribal piece done before a Polynesian piece. My two nationalities clashed with one another in this way, my mom and dad were always feuding about what legend they were going to teach us first. It always made for an entertaining home life.

I walk out of the bathroom and throw on some clothes before settling down on the couch for the night. I was surprised to see that it was ten o'clock already, it had taken me ten whole hours at the shop. Poor Perry, he probably was at his house having Lainey ice his hands. That was a lot of tattooing for one day. I yawn widely and fluff the pillows on the couch as I lay down, flipping the TV on and changing it to the History Channel. A documentary about the Hawaiian Islands is on, so I cuddle up with my blankets to watch but before I knew it I was fast asleep.

:X:

 _Paul is in my dreams. I recognize his face easily as I walk through the woods towards him, he is standing on the highest cliff that runs alongside the highway. I can feel panic building in my chest as he looks at me, his face is stony and I can sense that he's blocking me out but I feel… I feel like my mind and body need to be connected to him. I run to close the gap between up but I'm stopped by a chorus of growls, I'm surrounded by a pack of large wolves with bared teeth and their hair stands on end. I hold my hands up in surrender, my heart pattering against my chest painfully as I fight the urge to run through the hostile pack wolves and press my body against Paul. I'm not afraid of these giant creatures, I just wanted to feel him surrounding me, his hard, toned body holding me tightly in his arms. I want to feel his lips on mine as we share the passion that I feel smouldering between us. The pack of wolves, there has to be at least seven of them, still bare their teeth but despite their demeanor, I can feel myself walking toward Paul. His dark eyes are wide with concern as he watches me edge closer to him, the wolves get more aggressive, I can now feel their hot breath on my body, they're huge, standing eye to eye with me._

" _Kai," Paul says calmly and extends his hand, the look on his face is now that of pure joy as the wolves gather my scent and lick the bare skin on my arms and legs. My panic and apprehension dissipate, in their place, a sense of pride and something that I can't identify. It was like fire was coursing through my veins as I close the gap between us. We are finally face to face, I can feel his warmth washing over me as we stand there, staring into each other's eyes._

" _Paul… I don't understand-" I begin but he shakes his head and holds a finger up against my mouth to silence me,_

" _You don't have to explain," he says, his voice dropping deeper, making the hair on my arms stand on end. I'm distracted by his finger which is still pressing firmly against my lips, the urge to taste him makes my mouth water. What a weird reaction. He finally drops his finger from my mouth and I feel disappointed that the contact has been lost, my body starts to hum with the need to touch him again._

 _I am reminded that we are in the woods by the wolves that are now laying on the ground, watching us._

" _Are you scared?" Paul's voice startles me as I look up at him, I frown as I recognize the question. He had asked me that earlier, when we heard wolves at the shop. I immediately shake my head no and Paul exhales heavily, looking relieved._

" _Good," he says and plunges his hands into my hair before descending his lips on mine, roughly pulling me toward him. As I feel his tongue sweep over my bottom lip, asking for permission to deepen the kiss, I feel my body and mind go blank. All I feel is his hands running up and down my body, feeling every part of me that I needed him to touch. My blood boils and my heart is nearly jumping out of my chest as Paul's rough hands travel down my body and then back up, brushing the side of my breasts. I gasp as we break our kiss, I lay my head on his shoulder as I'm overwhelmed with the need to slip my hands underneath his shirt and explore his body._

 _The image of my dream starts to fade as we resume kissing again, Paul roughly grabs my jaw and presses his lips against mine with urgency. I try to grasp onto my dream world but I wake up before I can stop it._

 _:X:_


	2. Slow Burn

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm overwhelmed with the immediate response to this story! This story is one of my all time favorites. Everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed ROCK! Here's a steamy chapter for you all since you had to wait much longer than I had anticipated. Keep reading and reviewing, it makes me so happy to see them, good and bad. Much love!**

 **Remember, this is rated M for a reason!**

 **Disclaimer: I am not SM, unfortunately, I just like to play with her sexy werewolves from time to time.**

I jolt into the upright position, my blankets have been twisted around my legs and my pillows are now on the floor. I notice that I'm still in the living room, the TV is on and so is the lamp, illuminating the room brightly. It's dreary outside once again. I reach for my phone, which is wedged between the back of the couch and the cushion. No messages, which means that the shop was able to open without needing my help, it had been three years since they had to live without me for a day. I was usually at the shop by ten o'clock to make sure everything was filed and taken care of before we opened for a new day. I grimace as I think of how the front desk is going to look when I come back tomorrow. Not good at all. I yawn once again and look at the clock in the kitchen, almost choking as I realized it was well past three in the afternoon. No wonder I had a kink in my neck and a headache that was coming straight from hell, I had slept most of the day away.

I walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee to help me wake up or I was never going to get going. I swear. I reached for my favorite coffee mug, it was black and had the traditional ouija board pattern on it, I had gotten it for Christmas from Perry when I had first started at the shop. I smile and remember the day vividly, his hair was much shorter, just past his collar bones and he always wore it down, never in his usual braid that he prefered now. He had come with a large box filled with bricks to make it seem like he had gotten me something big and expensive, which I would have hated, to be honest. Situated in the middle of the box, wrapped tightly in bubble wrap and surrounded by bricks was the coffee mug. Best gift, like, ever. That was just a few weeks before Perry hired Lainey to come in and work in the shop, she was coming for a shop in Tacoma who had thrown her out because of her preferred style of work, they didn't want a color artist working in their all black and grey shop. My first impression of Lainey was awful, she was brash and didn't have any sense of moral compass, it seemed. Perry had insisted we keep her though, I suspected he had taken a liking to her... I proved to be right because a few weeks later they started officially seeing each other. Of course, now I love both of them to death, they're like the family that I had always wanted.

I was smiling fondly at the memories while I poured my coffee and sat at my kitchen table, enjoying the brew. I jumped as a knock sounded on my door, I frown, I wasn't expecting anyone. My mind flashes to Perry and Lainey, they may be coming to check on me. I swear, they coddled me too much sometimes. I look down at what I'm wearing, the pair of black cloth shorts that I had worn out of the shop and an old baggy band t shirt that I had worn there as well, I probably looked pretty disgusting but I shrug, it was just going to be the two people in my life that I would ever allow to see me like this. I didn't really care that much about what they saw.

"Coming!" I shout and run up to the door, swinging it open. But it's not Perry or even Lainey at the door. Nope. Of course it isn't, I groan internally and then grimace as I think back to what I'm wearing. Ugh.

"Kai," the deep velvet voice of Paul greets me. Goosebumps appeared on my arms as I stood there in shock, I cannot believe that he's here, right outside my apartment! How'd he know which one was mine? Shit, he has probably gone to the shop looking for me and when Perry of Lainey had told him I was out sick Lainey had given him my address. That was totally something I could see her doing. If that was the case, I was going to kill her, this was so embarrassing. Blushing, I look up at him, trying to think of something to say.

"H-hey, I thought I would never see you again," I said, my voice cracking with nervousness. " _I thought I would never see you again?", really? That's what I choose to go with? Great, Kai, just great. Awesome start,_ I chastise myself as I watch Paul frown. I begin to fuss with my shirt, trying to flatten out the wrinkles. I also hastily pulled down the legs of my shorts a little so they didn't seem so revealing. His eyes slide down my body to watch my fingers play with the edge of my shorts, a grin appears on his face. I shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he takes his sweet time dragging his eyes back up to meet mine. I swallow thickly and ignore the fire that was coursing through my veins at his leisurely gaze up and down my body.

"You look amazing," he says, his smile widening as I fold my arms across my chest in an act of defiance.

"You know, you don't have to lie," I said in a matter-of-fact voice, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh no, I'm not lying," he says slowly, his voice dropping a few tones as he surveys me again. It's hard to imagine a sexier situation, honestly, and I could feel that in my body. Warmth was spreading over my skin even though my goosebumps wouldn't go away, my mind was running at a million miles an hour and I felt a delicious tingly feeling gathering in my lower abdomen.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, eyeing his dirty clothes, they were covered in grease stains and he smelled like my dad's garage mixed with a sexy smelling cologne that reminded me of the forest. All in all, Paul looked… Ruggedly handsome.

"I couldn't tell you," Paul said, he was shaking his head. He looked confused as he peered around, I watch as he reaches up and scratches the back of his head, seemingly nervous all of a sudden. I quirk my head to the side, trying to figure him out. I find myself wanting to reach out and comfort him, my previous rage that he had caught me off guard dissipating quickly.

"Do you- um, do you maybe want to come in?" I asked, "I can cook something for you if you're hungry, you look like you've just come from work," I offer, remembering the time. I was going to offer coffee but normal people don't drink coffee in the middle of the day. What can I say, I'm a freak of nature.

"Ah, man. That sounds great, actually" he nods and follows me as I walk into my apartment. I mentally thank my inner neat freak for cleaning up the apartment recently, I also was screaming at myself. Here I was, just letting this guy into my apartment, I had only had one short conversation with him and now he was just hanging out in my apartment while I cooked lunch for him? What in the hell was I thinking? Maybe it was because something about this guy made me feel so safe and so… Well, he was so damn attractive and exuded authority, something that I had always found undeniably attractive in a man. He hit the mark on every part that I looked for in a dream guy. Hell, what did I have to lose? I had only been on one date in my entire life and that had ended in a complete mess. Simon, Lainey's friend from Tacoma, had come to visit for the week and do a guest spot at the shop. She thought it would be a great idea for us to go out. He and I had the same taste in art, we had been chatting it up for the first few days he had been up. I had been agreeable too, I won't deny that, Simon was cute and he seemed nice enough. That is, until we had gone to dinner and he had totally unleashed his freakiness on me. He wanted me to 'peg' him, which, I found out later from Lainey, is penetration of a male by a female. Not that I think there's anything wrong with that, I mean, people like what they like but that totally wasn't my thing. So, I told him no and he made a scene, calling me a tease and telling me that I would never find someone to love me if I was such a bitch and not open to exploring. He left for Tacoma three days earlier than planned and hadn't talked to Lainey or I since. Needless to say, I think it was about time I opened myself up to start trying again. Not all men could be a psycho as him.

I was suddenly hyper aware of Paul's eyes on me as I pulled out some ground beef from the fridge and plop it into the pan. I turned my attention to him as I waited for the pan to heat up, he was surveying, his gaze was red hot on me. I could feel myself becoming tingly all over,

"I like you, Kai, you fascinate me," he says with his head cocked to the side, I blush and search for words.

"How do you know that? We barely know each other," I point out, reaching for my coffee and taking a sip. A slow smile spreads on his face again as he watches me drink from my cup.

"I think you know it's true," he speaks honestly, taking no time to think about his response. My breath is knocked out of me as his eyes bore into mine, the sexual tension in the air is almost too much to take. My body is aching to reach out and feel his hard, muscled form. I couldn't even comprehend what was happening and how whatever was happening, is happening so fast. Paul stands and crosses the room abruptly, placing himself in front of me, he's a good foot taller than I am, I'm eye to eye with his chest. I want to look up to see what his intentions are but I'm stuck tracing the lines of his collar bones with my eyes, I was suddenly finding it hard to breath as I admired this beautiful man standing in front of me.

"I-I don't even know what's happening right now, honestly," I stutter out, managing to muster up enough nerve and air to respond to his earlier statement.

"What do you want to happen? Be honest with me Kai, tell me what you want," He whispers, his lips suddenly near my ear, kissing my earlobe softer than I could have ever imagined. That small kiss sent shivers down my spine and a warm feeling was beginning to pool low in my stomach, making my knees tremble. Damn it to hell, I wanted his lips on mine so badly but how could I voice that without sounding desperate? He wanted me to tell him, to be honest. _Was I about to have a one night stand_? I ask myself and at this point, I would do it without question. Screw being a virgin anyways, I scoff in my head and shudder as I feel Paul's hot breath on my neck. The logical part of me was telling me to take a step back and get some distance, I mean, I had only met this guy last night. It wasn't in my nature to fall blindly in love with a random dude but Paul… He was different. There was something magical between us, as absurd as it sounded. It made everything seem like it was going to be okay, like fate wanted this to happen. Ever since we had locked eyes at the shop, some part of me knew that we would end up like this. And the dream I had last night? It couldn't have been a coincidence. I thought back to a story my father had told me about soul mates, it was from the Nez Perce people, how they believed that somewhere out there in a different tribe than our own, was our soulmate. Maybe Paul was mine? It was supposed to be a magical thing and you would just know, sometimes you would dream about them or see them whenever you closed your eyes. Dad said mom had been his soulmate, he'd known it from the very beginning. He spotted her when he and his brother's were on spring break In Hawaii, she went to the University of Hawaii and was vacationing in a beach house a short ways from campus with her friends. They met on the beach. She and dad had been together ever since. Both of them are convinced they were made for each other.

I looked up at Paul, my heart fluttering as I opened my mouth to respond,

"I don't know what I want to happen but please keep doing what you're doing," I choked out in regards to his hot breath on my neck. I heard him let out a low groan and then jumped as his lips connected with my skin, they felt like velvet moving against me. I let my head fall back as he continued to place light kisses up and down my neck. I could feel my breath coming faster as Paul applied more pressure to his ministrations. My mind was lost, totally blank, completely focused on what Paul was doing to me. I lifted an arm, coming in contact with his sculpted abdomen, following the lines of his washboard abs up to his perfectly toned chest. My other hand and found it's way to his back, firmly tracing the lines of his insanely thick muscles as he continued to torture me with his hot breath and soft lips that were also firm and _demanding_ as they took charge of my body. I felt his tongue on my neck suddenly, making my hands freeze in their spot, my breath hitched and caught in my throat as I let out an involuntary moan.

"Mmm, you taste better than I thought you would," Paul spoke after he removed his tongue from my neck, his voice was deeper than before, arousal thick in his tone. _I wanted more_ , I thought desperately. At his words I felt wetness spread onto my thighs, my own arousal growing more and more prominent with each moment. Even when I had touched myself I had never been like this, so turned on to the point that I was dripping. As if he could tell what was happening to my body he uttered words that made my heart stop and almost catapult into an orgasm right then and there.

"I bet you're so wet for me, Kai," he takes a deep breath and runs his hand down the curve of my hip and over to cup my ass. I can hear myself gasp, dragging air into my lungs, desperate for oxygen since it seemed like he had stolen all of mine. My knees grew weak and I found myself leaning into Paul, closing the small gap that he had left between us. He placed a hand at the small of my back, steadying me as he looked behind me into the kitchen. He muttered something under his breath as he pushed me against the wall, walking into the kitchen. I could hear him rustling around, the loss of contact made my heart sink into my stomach, I missed him being close. I closed my eyes and remembered his lips on my body, another surge of lust washing over me.

A few moments passed before Paul reappeared, he gave me a smile,

"Didn't want to burn the place down now, did we?" He said and it dawned on me that he was taking care of the meat that had been cooking on the stove. I blushed and crossed one arm over my chest, gripping my elbow.

"Fuck, you're so sexy, baby girl" he muttered and advanced toward me crushing his lips on mine. I was shocked momentarily but recovered quickly, kissing him back with enthusiasm. His mouth moved against mine expertly, he had done this plenty of times. I was afraid that I wouldn't measure up to what he had experienced before but I tried not to let that stop me as I felt his tongue run along my bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. I couldn't help the moan that escaped as he bit down on my lip, a tinge of pain and a whole lot of pleasure shot through my body.

"Shit…" I mumbled when he pulled away. I was afraid that I had done something that he didn't like or that I hadn't done enough but I was soothed as he summoned me to follow him into the small hallway that lead to my bedroom.

My heart was beating double time as we neared my bedroom, my mind focused on Paul's hand gripping mine, pulling me up against him closely, I doubted even a piece of paper could fit between our bodies. I felt his manhood pressing against my stomach, I squeezed my eyes shut to try and calm myself down off the ledge that I was teetering on. I had never felt a man's erection before, I didn't realize it was such a turn on, most girls my age giggled when they saw a penis and would always say that it ugly or that they didn't ever want it near them but I couldn't think of anything that I wanted more, except for Paul to continue to kiss me and explore my body. Paul kissed me roughly and then pulled away, spinning me around so my back was to him. I could feel his erection twitching against my back, straining against the fabric of his jeans. He ground his hips into me before pushing me onto the bed, I landed with my arms at my sides and my legs spread apart a little, I felt vulnerable in this position. Seconds after I had landed on the bed Paul was hovering over me, I could feel the heat from his body as his hand dropped onto my back, pushing up my shirt to expose a good six inches of skin. I could have sworn I heard him growl as he moved to kneel above me, his knees on either side of me. His hands explored the patch of exposed skin, nudging the shirt up with every pass that he made. I lifted my chest off the bed and he slipped it over my breasts. He let out an audible moan when he realized that I didn't have a bra on.

"You're gonna kill me, woman," he said gruffly and lifted the shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor. I could feel my arousal slide down my thighs again, thick wetness probably dripping onto the bed. Both of his hands moved up my back, kneading and massaging my muscles as they went.

"T-that feels really good," I manage to say before he curls his hands around my side and brushes the sides of my breasts. My mind went cloudy and I couldn't focus on anything but his hands exploring one of the most intimate parts of my body.

"Yeah, you like that, baby?" He asks confidently as I nod my head yes to his question. My nipples harden as he gently lifts my body up so he can cup my breasts fully, my nipples pressed against his fingers. He curls his fingers just enough to capture my nipples in between them, my eyes roll to the back of my head as the sensation washes over me. He pinches them between his fingers which sends shock waves coursing through my veins and the sensation meets at the apex of my thighs. One of his hands moves from my breast and slithers down my body slowly, he's holding me up off the bed a few inches with just one of his arms.

His reach stops as he cups the most sensitive part of my body, I suddenly feel self conscious as I remember that I only have a skimpy pair of cloth shorts on to cover me. My mind is racing with nervous thoughts as he begins to pinch and roll my nipple between his fingers, sending small shock waves of pleasure coursing through me once again.

"Please…" I let myself speak, the sound coming out breathy and filled with passion.

"Tell me what you want, baby," he says and I moan, trying to think of what exactly it was that I was asking for; begging for.

"I just need- Oh, I don't know just please help me… I'm so close," I say honestly, fighting the blush that was creeping up my neck.

"Mmm, yeah baby, I can feel that," he whispers in my ear, littering my neck with kisses. He presses his hand harder against my center and I let out a loud whimper, I want to find release so badly, I had never felt anything as intense as he was making me feel now. I needed more, I _craved_ more.

"Please, Paul, oh god… _Please_ ," I beg as he fingers the band of my shorts teasingly until I can't take it anymore. I go to move my hand to his, trying to make him understand the urgency I was feeling but I can feel him shake his head and pull down my shorts a little before swiftly flipping me over onto my back. I was ready to get on my knees and beg him to give me this, I would do anything for him to help me achieve what I wanted and needed the most right now. My body was yearning for him to help me get satisfaction. I move my hips in a small circle, trying to get some friction as he pulls his hand away and brushes some hair that had fallen across my face when he had flipped me over.

"I want to see your face when you cum for me," he explains slowly and deliberately, making sure I hear him loud and clear. His words cause me to press my thighs tightly together, trying to catch some relief. He sees this and shakes his head, nudging my legs open again with his knee. He makes me open them wide before lifting himself off me, kneeling on the floor below me. Paul reaches up and peels my shorts down my legs, I swallow thickly and take a deep breath, trying to calm my frantic breathing. Meanwhile, Paul has just discovered that I hadn't been wearing underwear,

"Fuck!" He growls and peers up at me, "you nearly made me cum right here and now, baby. No underwear? You're so fucking sexy. I love it." My eyes grow wide at his words and my hands start to tremble, his dirty language was turning me on past the point I thought possible.

Finally, he rests his hand right above my center, between my hip bones and reaches his thumb down to circle my throbbing clit. I cried out at the contact, my back arching as I gasp for breath.

"Damn, baby, you're so wet for me; so close to the edge," he says and eyes my body hungrily, "So beautiful," he mutters the last words with so much sincerity it brings tears to my eyes but also causes me put my arms across my chest, feeling self conscious, knowing that he had been looking at my completely naked body. Paul shakes his head and stops playing with my clit, I whimper from the loss of contact, my body humming with pleasure.

"Kai, you're the most beautiful woman on this planet, don't cover your body. You're too stunning to be covered," he said with authority in his voice, he reaches up and pries my hands away from my body. Even though I'm uncomfortable, I fully trust Paul for some reason as I push aside the negative thoughts. He had been so confident and sure with his comforting words, he had to mean them. No one could fake that sincere of a compliment.

"I'll try not to," I nodded and he starts playing with me again, circling my clit in slow circles, my hips lift off the bed as I'm nudged over the edge; before I release, I whisper a request.

"Can I cum?" I don't know why but I felt compelled to ask him permission, his dark, melted chocolate eyes shoot up to meet mine. Lust and arousal has made his pupil dilate and his eyes are heavily lidded. He nods,

"Fuck yes, baby" he says in a strained voice and I feel his thumb pull away again, before I can protest and beg him to continue, I feel his hot breath against my clit as his tongue picks up where his finger left off.

Not able to hold on any longer, I feel a scream rip through me but it gets stuck in my throat halfway through. My orgasm takes over, and all of the air in my lungs suddenly disappear. I squeeze my eyes shut as I see stars, my legs shook and I found myself gasping for breath. I can still feel Paul's tongue against me, he had moved lower, now licking at my entrance, his hot breath making me feel even more sensitive. My limbs feel like lead as I start to come down from my orgasm, I'm panting loudly and slurring words together as I revel in the feelings Paul has given me.

"I don't think you're done," Paul says as our eyes lock, he slowly licks his lips, there's a grin on his face. I am about to question him when I feel his finger moving against my clit again, edging me closer and closer to release once more. It was coming faster this time, it didn't feel like the slow burning build of the first one, it came with an intense urgency and need. _Fuck, how was he doing this to me? Twice? Is that even possible_? I hurriedly ask myself before I'm overcome with the need to release again. I was compelled to ask him for permission once more, it felt right to ask. He was in charge in this situation.

"C-can I cum, Paul?" I whisper, barely able to manage the words.

"I love that you ask me," Paul says and I whimper, trying not to cum without his say so.

"Please?" I beg, not even concerned that you could hear the desperation clearly in my voice.

"Do you want my fingers inside you when I let you cum?" He asks and my eyes roll back into my head at his words. I nod urgently and nearly pass out from pleasure as he stands, and presses his finger to my lips. I look up at him uncertainly but open my mouth, a moan escapes as he slips his finger in. My automatic reaction is to swirl my tongue around it. His skin is so warm and tastes so good. I feel him press down roughly on my clit and I arch my back in pleasure, biting down on his finger while I tried to refrain from falling off the edge of my orgasm.

He slides his finger out of my mouth and toys with my entrance before slipping it inside of my heat. I gasp and then it's all over and I'm cumming with his finger moving inside me. I can feel my walls clenching around his pleasurable intrusion.

"Ung, you're so tight, baby…" Paul speaks as I try to catch my breath. I finally come down from euphoria and he slides his finger out of me, it's glistening with my arousal.

"Open," he says and nods to me, I frown slightly but open my mouth. He places his finger inside and I close my mouth around his finger once again, this time tasting my own juices on it. It was one of the most erotic things I had ever seen in my lifetime. It almost has me cumming again,

"Oh my, god, what was that?" I whisper as he takes his finger back and moves to lay next to me on the bed. I can see him frown as I observe him.

"What was that? I just made you orgasm- twice," he says with a wicked grin,

"A man has never… No one had ever given me that," I say, suddenly hyper aware that I am completely exposed.

"No man you've been with has ever made you cum? What douchebags do you hang around?" He asks with an amused expression on his face, I blush furiously beside him. He shakes his head, "sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. But seriously, the woman should _always_ come first,"

"Well, um, I've actually never been with anyone so…" I say and Paul is suddenly on his feet, looking down at me with a bewildered expression.

"You're a virgin?!" He roars, frowning deeply, he looks mad.

"Er, yeah… I-I'm sorry," I stutter but he's shaking his head furiously now. Actually, it seems like his whole body is shaking with anger. I want to sink into the mattress and never resurface, I royally screwed this up and I'm so embarrassed.

"Do you know what I would have done to you next?!" He exclaims loudly, "I was going to fuck you like… Shit, I can't believe this!" Paul was really starting to shake now, more violently than I had ever seen anyone shake from anger before.

"I wanted it, I promise!" I reassured, thinking maybe he had thought he had forced me into make the decision,

"That doesn't matter, you need someone better than me to lose your virginity to, it's so special that not just anyone can take it from you. Give it to someone you love," and there it was, my dream world was crashing down around me. How could I have thought that Paul was the one? I had let myself be wooed over so easily and I felt like a fool for believing that he may have been my soulmate, just like my mom was to my dad. I had been overcome by lust. I sit up and pull my comforter over me,

"I'm sorry," I apologized again but he shakes his head.

"I have to get out of here," he said more to himself than to me and exited my room without a second glance. A few moments later I heard the door slam shut.

I hastily put clothes on and searched for my phone. Once I found it I dialed Lainey's number, she answered on the first ring,

"Hey, sweet thang," she chirped, her chipper mood made me burst into tears before I could swallow them, "Kai, what's wrong? What happened?" She questioned,

"Laine, I messed up…" I cried, feeling so defeated I couldn't muster up any more of an explanation,

"Where are you?" She asks and I tell her, "I'll be right over," she says and hangs up. After the line goes dead I walk myself to the couch and promptly burst into tears again, my eyes burn because my mascara has run into them but I don't care anymore, I deserve to look like a mess. I had been so stupid...


	3. Seeking Cover

**A/N: Hey guys! I thought I would update really quickly! This is a short chapter in Paul's POV, it's about half the size of Kai's chapters. I just wanted to give everyone an insight as to what Paul was thinking from the last chapter. From now on, every third chapter is going to be shorter and is also always going to be from Paul's point of view, so keep that in mind. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy it! As always, thank you to all who reviewed, favorited and liked this story, it's one of my very favorites. It's exciting to write for such an amazing group of readers! Keep up the support and I will keep** **delivering you awesome content (;**

 **Disclaimer: All credit goes to SM, even though I _wish_ I owned Paul. Heh heh...**

I was lucky that I had gotten out of Kai's house before I fucking exploded into my wolf form. _What in the fuck had I been thinking?_ I silently muse to myself, running the north border, far away from Jake, who would definitely have some questions to ask me. Like what the fuck I was doing fucking around with the poor girl like that, especially when I was still technically dating his sister. I didn't particularly feel like explaining to him that I was going to ditch his sister so I could be with my imprint. It was a situation eerily similar to what Sam, Leah and Emily had endured and we all know how well that had turned out. Not fucking good, aside the fact that Emily and Sam had ended up getting married. Leah was bitter as fuck though. _Damnit_ , I growled as I felt Sam trying to prod into my thoughts.

 _What the fuck is your problem?_ His voice sounded irritated, no doubt Jake had called him in to calm me down, we had probably interrupted his and Emily's date night.

 _Nothing,_ I huffed moodily and continued to push myself to run harder and faster. Sam snorted,

 _Paul,_ he warned, _don't make me order you to tell me._

 _I almost fucked a lot of shit up,_ I said, letting him know the truth but very vaguely. I didn't want him telling me what to do when I already knew what had to be done; never talk to her again, as much as it would hurt me.

 _How does that make today any different than any other day?_ He replied, laughing.

 _I'm serious, Sam._ I said and Sam went silent for a minute,

 _Alright, what the fuck happened? Who did you phase in front of?_ He asks, immediately jumping to conclusions. I let out a low growl and shook my head as I slowed my pace.

 _I can't say as long as Jacob is listening in,_ I push that thought over to Jake who tells me to piss off. Sam sighs,

 _Paul and I have it covered for a while, I'll let you know when we're done._ Sam says to Jake who doesn't protest more than a fierce howl before phasing back to his human form.

 _I think I imprinted,_ I relent bitterly as soon as I was sure Jake had left.

 _I would congratulate you but I feel like there's more to the story than just imprinting. Start from the beginning. I need to know everything if you want my help,_ Sam says and I sigh heavily.

 _Well, my first problem is that I'm still with Rachel. I don't know how to break it to her that I've found_ the one _. Hell, it happened right in front of her, in the tattoo shop._

 _You're going to have to break it off right away, man. You don't want to hurt Rachel by dragging it out too long._ Sam said and I nodded, knowing that he was 100 percent right about that. Rachel and I had been fractured for a while but we had been trying to work things out, it was going to hurt her enough that I was just going to up and leave when we had vowed to repair what was broken but it had to be fucking done.

 _What does this imprint of yours look like?_ Sam prompted me to explain, instead of using words, because I couldn't think of anything that would begin to explain her stunning appearance, I flash him a picture of her through our telepathic connection. Her hair was very long, reaching past her waist in big waves, it was a dozen different tones of brown, black and blonde mixed together. She had striking green eyes, they held the most sincere emotions I've ever seen on a human being. She was short, probably eight inches smaller than me, if not more, and her body was so curvy in all the right places. She had wide hips and sexy ass but slim, toned legs, her waist was small but her tits were perfect, probably in the 'C' range. In her face you could tell she had some sort of native heritage by her perfectly straight nose and high cheekbones, her skin tone was about two shades lighter than mine but definitely the trademark russet skin color that came with being native.

 _Okay, I definitely see the attraction. She's uh… Damn. She's a good one for you. I_ am _surprised she's not a blonde though, I know you have a soft spot for cute blondes._ Sam chortles, _but, I don't see the problem. You know you have to break up with Rachel and be with Kai, you're going to accept the imprint so I would just do that. It sounds like a pretty solid plan to me._

 _It would be simple if I hadn't already gone down on Kai in her apartment like twenty minutes ago,_ I growled and Sam went quiet.

 _Well shit, you'll be able to make it work._

 _Yeah, until Kai realizes that I had been in a relationship when I had fucked around with her. I doubt she'll ever be able to look past that small fucking detail._

 _Listen, Paul, you don't have to accept her, you know. If you want to stay with Rachel and not worry about it, you can. There's nothing that says you have to be with your imprint._ As Sam says this, panic shoots through my body. Was I going to be able to handle that? Living without Kai by my side for the rest of my life? I know that Jake was having a hard time just being Ness' friend until Edward had decided she was old enough to enter a relationship with him. Was I strong enough to withstand that kind of pressure and temptation? I thought about what I had seen the other guys go through when their imprintee was gone or when they had fights and knew it wasn't something that particularly easy on either parties. But Sam was right, I had two choices and I needed to decide soon.

I feel a huge weight drop onto my shoulders as panic surges through me again, stronger this time. What the fuck? I wasn't normally all panicky like this,

 _You must be feeling what she's feeling right now,_ Sam piped up, I had come to a stop and he was now standing beside me, looking at me with concerned eyes. _Are you okay? This doesn't happen very often… It's like you and her are connected on another level. Weird._

This _is how she's feeling?_ I ask, I feel sick to my stomach and I can feel a headache coming on. It had been a long ass time since I had experienced anything like a headache or any other signs of sickness for that matter.

 _Yeah, man. Welcome to being imprinted, but like I said before, normally what you're feeling doesn't affect that other person but that doesn't seem to be the case. I wonder what's causing it. She's native right?_

 _I don't know,_ I answer honestly, _she looks like it but she doesn't at the same time. Why?_

 _I'm just trying to figure things out._ Sam says and phases back into his human form, speaking out loud now. "Regardless of what you decide, you definitely need to get closer to Kai. I think the emotional connection that you two share is only going to get worse with time and separation combined. I'll see you tomorrow for your shift at the shop," he says and walked back where we had come from and I realized that we weren't too far from the border of the Rez. I let a loud howl emerge from deep in my chest, signaling Jake to come back to his patrol duty.

Thoughts of Rachel fill my mind and I suddenly find myself shifting back into my human form. _I have to get rid of her,_ I think and at first I feel bad for thinking like that but there is a sense of urgency that I can't quite place. I pulled on my jeans and ran out the woods to Rachel's house, hoping that Billy wouldn't be home.

I'm standing outside of Rachel's house now, looking in her bedroom window. She's laying on her bed, covering in blankets and watching the TV with a blank stare. She was waiting for me to get home, I had told her that I had picked up a shift at the shop when I had been at Kai's house. Fuck, I was an asshole. I watched her for a moment longer, saving the last calm memory of her that I will have left. I reach up and knock on the window, Rachel jumps and then looks to the window, her dark brown eyes alight with happiness as she hurries out of bed to let me in. She's wearing a pair of lacy red underwear and one of my shirts. The image is stunning but it does nothing for me, especially since I'm used to being overwhelmed with lust when I saw her like this.

"Hi, baby!" Rachel greets, stepping back so I can hoist myself in the window. I should have come through the front door so she knew we needed to talk seriously about something but old habits die hard.

"Hey, Rachel," I say back, using her full name so she knows I'm serious. Her face falls into a frown as she backs away from me, she chuckles a little.

"Since when am I 'Rachel' to you?" I can sense that she feels something is off. Rachel isn't dumb, she probably was beginning to put two and two together. She had seen the way Kai had looked at me in the tattoo shop and I'm pretty sure she knew that I had gone back to the shop to give Kai a ride back to her apartment. We had talked about this before, about me imprinting and what that would mean for us. At first, I had been totally in love with Rachel, I would always tell her that my imprint could try and take her away from me but I would always choose her. Over the last three years my answer had begun to change, we were over being in that puppy love at the beginning of the relationship. She knew it could happen at any time. And here we were. Shit.

"Rach, I've gotta talk to you about something… Hell, I don't completely understand what's going on but it's not good- not for us, anyways" I begin, trying to be nice about it. I desperately wanted to just tell her straight forward what I needed to say and be over with it but I didn't want to have the working relationship fractured between Jake and I. He was one of the leaders and I couldn't have him hating me for dumping his sister. It would make my life more of a hell than it already was.

Rachel had fallen back on the bed, she was staring up at the ceiling, her lip trembles as she tries to hold back tears. I clench my jaw and power forward, I didn't like silence, that meant she was thinking of something to throw back in my face from a previous fight.

"I don't know how to say this nicely so I'm just going to say it; I can't be with you anymore,"

"You've imprinted," Rachel says with tears shining in her eyes, it's a statement. I force myself to take a step back from her and take a deep breath, I didn't want to lose control and phase, putting Rachel in danger. I knew my emotions went unchecked in high stress situations like this.

"You knew?" I ask, trying to keep her talking. I needed to know that there wouldn't been any fallout from this. I needed her to tell me that it was okay. Not for her sake but for mine. I was a selfish asshole, what can I say?

"I saw the way you looked at her; that girl at the tattoo shop. She's pretty-" Rachel chokes on her tears, they're streaming down her face freely now. My mind flashes to Kai, her beautiful body glowing, coming down from an orgasm that I had given her; by far the best sight I had seen in my life. I closed my eyes and nodded my head, I had to do this, I needed Kai in my life as badly as I needed to keep phasing. Both established normalcy in my life. Something that I had craved since I had been young. It was being offered to me, dangling right in front of my face. Rachel couldn't be mad at me for that, right? She knew just as well as I did that that's what I craved the most, deep down. I didn't like to acknowledge my feeling very often but that was one thing that had surfaced and I had accepted.

"I'm sorry that it has to be like this Rachel, I really do, but I can't be with you now that I have-" I clear my throat uncomfortably, I didn't want to confess this to Rachel but she needed to know how deep I was. "Now that I have her, I fucking love her and I don't even know her yet. Do you know how serious that is, coming from me especially?" I couldn't believe it when I felt water glazing over my eyes. _No. I refuse to fucking cry. I haven't cried since my mom died, I won't start now. Fucking weak ass, get yourself together._ I growl at myself and clamp down on any emotions that I had let loose from my admission.

"I'm over this Rach, I don't want to see you anymore, okay? You can give all my shit to Jake to return to me but I don't wanna see you for a while. I can't... I can't be around you. She wouldn't like it," my anger has flared up again, any sadness I was feeling had added fuel to the fire that had been building inside me since I had left Kai's house in a daze.

"Paul, wait…" Rachel speaks when I turn my back to her, walking over to the window. I turn around and look at her. She's put a brave face on, she didn't want me to see her crying because she knew it made me pissed.

"I can't, I already told you I can't be with you!" I shouted, shaking with a mix of anger and frustration coursing through my veins, my vision was turning red.

"Make love to me, one last time, please?" She asks, her voice trembling, "I want to remember it forever, so give me this one last thing," she begged and I turned around, quickly walking up to her so we were just inches apart, her hot breath mingling with mine in a familiar dance. I waited for a second, waiting to feel the need for her filling up every part of me. I could give her one thing before I walked out of her life. But I let out a long sigh and was forced to take a step back as nothing happened below my belt. Gone was the lust, the attraction and the need that I had once felt for her. The feelings that I had once desperately clung to were now missing from my bay of emotions. Replacing it was repulsion and guilt for doing something so hurtful to Kai; _my imprint_. The only person that really mattered in this whole world.

"Paul…"

"I can't," I say shaking my head and heading back to the window, ready to leave.

"Paul, you know I can turn you on really quickly, just let me-"

"Rachel," I warned, my hands starting to visibly shake, anger setting in. She advances toward me, her hand reaching out and gripping the top of my thigh, slowly massaging it's path to my dick, which still hadn't so much as twitched from her advances. I take a step back and shake my head more vigorously this time,

"Stop, I can't do it, Rachel."

"Baby, come on," Rachel purred, using the voice that I had once thought to be sexy, now it turned my stomach. Rachel's hand found my dick again, massaging it through my jeans. I had enough of her shit though, I hated when she didn't listen to me and it was especially infuriating me in this circumstance. I wasn't responding to her advances at all, why couldn't she fuck off?

" _I SAID STOP,"_ I shouted and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from me and forcing her onto the bed, which was clear across the room. "Goodbye, Rachel." I said curtly and jumped out the window, landing on my feet and breaking into a run, seeking cover from the woods.


	4. All Cried Out

**A/N: Hey guys! I know, it's been way too frickin' long since I've updated. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. But I promise, I'm still hanging in there and I'm still completely in love with this story. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and put me on author and story alert! You keep me writing, honestly. So, read and review, anything helps and I'm always game for suggestions and thoughts about the story; good or bad. Alright, I'll shut up now. Enjoy, my loves!**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **I do not own Twilight or any of the characters or plot lines affiliated with Twilight (unfortunately) but I _do_ like to play around with SM's wolf pack quite a bit. Hehe (:**

* * *

I was all cried out. There was nothing that I could do now but stare blankly at Lainey's Dragon Ball Z shirt. She was looking at me sympathetically, playing with my hair, massaging my scalp to try and calm me.

"Sweetie," Lainey hummed, "are you alright?"

"I-I don't know what 'alright' feels like anymore," I said and let out a tearless sob, sniffling. "My whole life has been turned completely upside down within the last day and a half and for some reason I love it, I love every damn second of it. Even when I'm crying I have this feeling like everything is going to be okay even when it's going to complete shit. I'm like, a masochist or something, I must be!" I exclaimed and laid my head against the back of the couch. My eyes are puffy and sore, I close them before they start to burn.

"No, Kai _, you're in love_." The simplicity of the statement floored me. It was like she was talking about what we were going to have for supper or something trivial like that. My eyes grow wide as I look at her incredulously,

"I can't possibly… How do you know? We've only just met!"

"Kai, did you forget that he totally got you naked within ten minutes of being in your house? Now, I don't pretend that I know everything about your sex life, and maybe there's stuff that you're hiding from me, but I don't think you would just let anyone who prances into your life go down on you no matter how long you've known them. You're obviously falling for him whether you want to admit it or not,"

"I don't understand this whole love thing and I'm not sure I want to," I say weakly. _Liar, you know you want it. Him,_ the voice in my head speaks clearly to my inner desire.

"Think about him. What attracts you to him compared to everyone else? Wait! Compare him to our lovely friend Simon. Then you'll really get why he's so great in your eyes, besides, comparing is always fun!" Lainey exclaims and sits back, taking a sip of red wine that she had poured for herself. I look at the glass and then extend my hand. If we were going to do any more talking about Paul, I would need a few gulps of that rich red liquid. She hands me the glass and then inclines her right eyebrow into a perfect arch, she was waiting for me to speak. As I take a generous sip from the glass and mull over the two completely opposite men, Lainey grows impatient.

"Well," I start slowly, gathering my thoughts. "Paul is just- his presence is so... _commanding_ and with Simon it was like he was along for the ride. I think that's the main difference between the two,"

"Yeah, Paul Lahote is a whole lot of man. Ugh, so sexy," Lainey nods and takes another sip from our shared glass. My mind flashes back to just a few hours ago when he was on his knees above me, I was at his mercy. A delicious shiver rolls down my spine and I feel myself getting aroused at the fleeting thought. Heat rises to my cheeks and I can hear Lainey's low chuckle from across the couch, I clear my throat and move on from my embarrassing thoughts.

"His voice takes my breath away, it sounds silly but I hear it and there's an instant reaction. Simon's voice is whiny, especially compared to Paul's dictating one." I say and then pause, "I just realized that I was completely naked and I never even got to see an inch of his skin," hell, I hadn't even thought to take off his shirt or reach for the button on his pants. _I wished I had, though,_ I thought wistfully.

"Okay, so you're telling me that he kept all of his clothes on?!"

"Yeah, I told you that. He was only focused on me and when I had let it slip that I was a virgin, he got the hell out of dodge," I said, "even if I wanted to, um-"

"-pleasure him?"

"-yes, _pleasure him_ , I wouldn't have been able to,"

"I bet he's huge, did you see the size of his hands?" Lainey giggled and I turned scarlet at the thought,

"Lainey!"

"What? I'm just being honest! Subject change; It's good to hear Mr. Paul Lahote is so focused on being a giver," she winks and I blush again, I felt like I may explode.

"Oh, he's a giver alright," I giggle and take another large sip from the glass.

"We need more," Lainey smirks and pulls the glass out of my hand, going for a refill.

While Lainey is shuffling through my cabinets in search of more wine, I really thought about Paul. I was tempted to call my dad and ask him about the legends of our tribe again, I had heard them a thousand times over but I wanted to be sure that I had it right. I roll my eyes at myself, knowing that dad answering my phone calls was an amusing concept. He all but disowned me when I told him I wasn't going to go to college for engineering and he almost died of a heart attack when I had made the decision to be a tattoo artist. Yeah, calling him was out of the question. But what else could make me so connected to someone so fast if the legends weren't true? Even now, when I was still upset and definitely embarrassed about Paul leaving me in such a fragile state, I wanted him to be here, comforting me. He left me though, because I was a virgin. _He left because he didn't feel like he was good enough for you, don't you listen?_ The voice in my head sneers and I faintly hear the words he had said to me echoing in my head. '... You need someone better than me to lose your virginity to, it's so special that not just anyone can take it from you. Give it to someone you love.' He had been so… _kind_. I realized that he had run out not from being angry or disgusted with me, he had been angry with himself for- for what? Taking advantage of me? Maybe that's what it was in his eyes but I was a very willing participant in the events. Deep down, I don't think I would have a lick of regret that Paul had been the one to take that from me. I had wanted him to, the connection that we shared made it undeniably clear that I wanted him in the worst way, unlike anyone I had been with before. This wasn't just some love story, no, it went deeper than that. The thought of him being my soulmate, just like from the legends, didn't seem so crazy. Maybe they had some validity to them. Paul was, in fact, from another tribe and he had just stumbled into my life on chance and now I was stuck. Just like my mom and dad. Stuck in a very, very good way.

"Earth to Kai. Hello-o-o," Lainey appearing in front of me, waving her hands wildly close my face. I blinked a few times and realized that she had been sitting there for quite a while, she had turned on the TV and was halfway done with the newly refilled glass of wine.

"Uh, sorry," I apologized sheepishly and she gave me a skeptical look.

"What were you thinking of?" She narrows her pretty brown eyes at me,

"I was just-" I couldn't tell her about my whole soulmate theory since it was a tribe secret of sorts, so I changed paths, "-just thinking about how to win Paul back,"

"That's my girl! Fight for what you want!" Lainey exclaimed and hugged me, her breath heavy with the scent of wine, "so, why the change of heart? When you had been crying on my shoulder you wanted to send him straight to hell, now you like the guy?"

"I can't explain it but I just feel like I should give him a chance… Or maybe I just hope he'll give _me_ one."

"He'd be stupid not to, honestly. You're hot as hell,"

"Oh my gosh, Lainey. You're so embarrassing!" I said to her compliment, she was always doing that. Complimenting me because she knew I hated it. Living in a house of guys growing up didn't earn me many compliments in the past, which was preferable, so why would I want to start receiving them now? Lainey just shrugs and ties back her short hair, her phone chimes, alerting her to a message. By the way her eyes light up, it's Perry. I sigh, knowing that she's gonna leave. I was a little sad to be alone, especially since I had been on a roller coaster ride of emotions, but I was also exhausted as all hell and needed some sleep if I was going to get up and go to work.

"Perry's here. Oh, and don't forget to put some unscented lotion on your tattoo, Perry wanted me to remind you. It'll start peeling soon." She says and grabs her purse from the kitchen table on the way out. "See ya tomorrow, hon, I'll have a plan of attack to get you in a date with Paul by then!" She called and ducked out the door, stumbling her way down the hallway. It was then that it dawned on me I hadn't asked her about how Paul knew where exactly my apartment was.

"Hey!" I chased after her, she stopped at the edge of the staircase looking back at me,

"Yeah?" She hiccups after she answers me. God, she's such a lush.

"Did you give Paul my apartment number?"

"What? No! I know you don't like people knowing where you live. You didn't give it to him?" She asked, her eyes wide and her mouth ajar.

"I thought you did…"

"Well, he must really like you then because he didn't get any info from me. If he wasn't so damn hot I would be creeped out," she said and gave me a sly smile, "but, just a forewarning, now that I know that you like him, I'm going to tell him anything that he wants to know about you,"

"Ugh, you're horrible. I hate you,"

"Love you too!" She calls as she walks further down the stairs and out of view.

I walk back into my apartment and collapse on my bed, exhausted from all the emotions that were running haywire in my mind. I inhale deeply and am bombarded by the scent of Paul, it's like he's still here in the bedroom with me. My heart twinges in pain and I wrap my arms around my knees, hugging them to my chest as I absorb Paul's scent into my memory. It smelled like the woods and a hint of the ocean mixed with a deep manly scent that I couldn't quite place my finger on but it was intoxicating. _How in the hell am I going to make him see that I want him? I don't have enough experience for this…_ I think miserably, wishing that Lainey had stayed longer so I could pick her brain. I release my knees and fall back into bed, I stare up at the ceiling helplessly.

My phone starts to ring which brings me out of my daze and back into reality. I frown when the caller ID indicates it's my dad. Weird, I had just been thinking about him.

"Dad?" I answer, questioning the call's authenticity.

"Who else would it be?" He speaks gruffly and I can tell something is up.

"Why'd you call, dad? I haven't heard from you in over a year," I can't help the tears that gather in my eyes as I finally begin to register that I'm actually talking to my father. Christ, how many emotional things can happen in one frickin day?

"I had a dream about you, little one, I wanted to make sure you were handling everything okay," he said, his voice clearing of all emotion. I panicked, not wanting him to hang up before I could talk to him longer.

"What do you mean?"

"You have met the one, haven't you? Your soulmate," my breath catches in my throat as I turn over the words my dad has just said to me. How could he have known? If it was even legitimate in the first place. I hadn't made up my mind yet, honestly.

"Dad, what are you talking about?"

"I had a dream about him, his name is Paul, yes?" He answered and I almost dropped the phone to the floor. My hands are shaking as I answer him,

"Yeah, dad. I just met a guy named Paul yesterday, how'd you know?" How in the hell did he know his name?! What else did he know about Paul? Maybe he could answer some of my questions.

"He came to me in my dreams last night, asking for help. I'm afraid the poor guy is in quite the shock," my dad chuckles and I let out a sigh of relief, I'm just glad he didn't see the dream I had last night. That would have been too embarrassing, I probably would have keeled over and died.

"So you're saying that Paul- he's good?"

"Yes, little one, Paul was made for you. It may not seem like it now but there will be a connection between you two that cannot be stopped. Just like what I had with your mom,"

"Oh, daddy, you don't know how much that comforts me. I've been feeling so confused as to what's going on, it's like my life has been turned upside down and I'm so disoriented. I wish mom was here…"

"Don't fret little one, everything will work out,"

"Thanks, dad," I said, trying to keep the tears from my eyes. Dad wouldn't like to hear me cry, I could hear him now; " _I raised you better than that! Your brother's don't cry!_ " And then he would call Jeremy, Kellen or Ayden and have them explain why crying doesn't solve anything. Like I needed to be reminded of that fact. I didn't want my brother's knowing that a guy had caught my attention, all three of them would drive to Forks and interrogate him and me until we were both bleeding from our ears. Hell, Alec might even show up, crawling out of the office building to make sure his baby sister is being treated right.

"Well, I have to go now. I just thought I would call and see how you were dealing with things, you and I both know your mother would rise from the grave and kill me if I didn't speak to you about it," he said gruffly, he didn't like talking about mom. She had been gone for three years now and he still had a really hard time with it. Fear sunk into my chest when I thought about Paul leaving me forever, in the most permanent way, I shudder and try to push the morbid thought out of my mind.

"Okay, dad. I love you- And thanks for calling, I missed hearing your voice,"

"Love you, too, little one. Tell Paul that he and I are going to do some serious talking when he comes around," he says and hangs up the phone.

* * *

I stare blankly out the front of the shop, the door is propped open and the breeze ruffles my dark hair. I wear a plain black crop top and loose fitting black sweatpants, worn out converse tied lazily on my feet. It's chilly outside today so I sip carefully out of my pretty tribal pattern thermos I made in my advanced art class back in high school. I drum my fingers absently on the front desk as I listen to Lainey and Perry argue about the shipment of ink they got in. Lainey swears that she ordered black ink but we only received charcoal grey, which basically means we're screwed as far as outlining goes; or anything concerning black, for that matter. Perry wasn't happy. Not that I could blame him, it was just lucky that I always kept extra stock of all the essentials just in case of situations like this.

"Hey, Kai? We're going to step in the back and figure this bullshit out, we have to go through the whole purchase order and do a fucking play by play." Perry snaps and I throw him a thumbs up, reaching for my sketch pad. I didn't feel like talking much right now anyways and I could definitely manage the front of the shop myself. Seeing as it was a Wednesday, it would be slow until later on in the day.

I continue to stare out the door, watching the rain come and go in an instant, the wind would pick up and blow in a stray leaf or two in between the showers. It was pretty miserable, I was pretty miserable. Today was just miserable in general. I lean back in the chair and let my head fall back, I stare at the ceiling and groan helplessly. Last night had been tough for me. After I had gotten off the phone with my dad I had passed out, thinking that would relieve me of my conflicted emotions; both from talking with my dad for the first time in what seemed like forever and about the whole Paul situation that seemed to be lingering in my head. I don't think I got more than a few hours of sleep and the sleep that I did get was riddled with images of Paul and I doing anything and everything. It was like I was living a surreal fantasy through my dreams, it was so vividly realistic that I felt like when I was awake I was actually stuck in a nightmare. It was a nightmare because I didn't have Paul to wake up next to in the morning, he wasn't in the next room cooking me breakfast, and he most certainly wasn't taking a steaming hot shower, waiting for me wake up and join him. Although, that last scenario was probably one of my favorite snippets of my dreams last night that I had retained memory of.

I let my pencil dance across the page, sketching the first thing that had come to mind since I crawled out of bed this morning. Paul's body was beautiful, so rough and positively alpha male. His washboard abs rippled with every move he made, his glorious russet skin glowed in the light and I imagined it would look quite delicious glistening with water from the ocean after surfing or cliff diving. A delicious shiver ran up my spine as I imagine Paul in a wetsuit, his muscular arms holding onto the surfboard as he makes his way to the shoreline. I desperately hoped that Paul had a secret passion for surfing like I did, even if it was nothing more than to satisfy this dreamy fantasy that ran through my head. I would love to draw it, get it down on paper so I would never forget. That's the urge I got with everything involving Paul, I just wanted to sketch it so I wouldn't forget it like he was probably going to forget me.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as the doorbell chimes, I call out a greeting as I hastily shove my sketchbook in the small cubby below the desk and flip the appointment book open. I shove my hair behind my ears and look up with a smile plastered on my face. I mentally sigh as I notice it's just our mail boy, he's a few years younger than I am. I'm pretty sure he lives on the Rez, he stops in a gives us our mail, he always has such a sweet smile on his face as he waves hello and goodbye to us as we're working. He's been our mail boy ever since I can remember.

I offer him a genuine smile before speaking. "Hey Collin,"

"What's up, Kai?" He smiles back at me and hands me a neatly wrapped box. I frown and take it from him, I was a little uneasy because he seemed stare intensely at me as I examined the box.

"Well, thanks for this Collin but my birthday isn't for another few weeks," I chuckle awkwardly and push the package towards him a little, he just shakes his head and begins laughing,

"Nah, this isn't from me, I don't know who it's from actually. It was on my doorstep when I left for my route this morning though. It had very specific instructions on it so I'm just following them." Collin shrugged and then winked at me, his cheek tinged pink. "And trust me, I know when your birthday is and I'd give you a _much_ bigger present."

"Oh my gosh, Collin. That's so inappropriate. On that note, have a good day," I say and ruffle his hair up before standing and playfully pushing him out the door. Jesus, what was it with these Rez boys being all suave? I swear, all of them were so freakin' smooth.

I walk back around the counter and stare at the present, wondering who was sending me a package this time of the year. The paper was a gorgeous, organic looking creme color, a shimmering black bow was placed on top, and a beautiful ' _K_ ' was written in impeccable calligraphy on each of the four sides. The box was taller than it was wide, standing about three feet in length, my brows knitted together as I tried to guess what it held. I wanted so badly to shake it but I didn't want to break anything fragile that it may hold. I bite down on my bottom lip and suck in a deep breath before I pry the pretty bow off the top and stick in on the back of my phone before gently tearing the paper away, not wanting to ruin the beautiful calligraphy that someone had put a lot of effort into. I lay the paper off to the side and stare at the simple box, afraid to look inside. One of the flaps on the top had flopped open and I could see a shadow from the contents casted on the side of the box, tantalizing me. I whimper in impatience and peak inside, not wanting to wait anymore to see what it held. Surprises and I had a love hate relationship and right now I didn't have time for it.

A small gasp left my mouth as I reach in and pull out the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. An elegant mix of black roses and the most vibrantly colored orchids I had ever laid my eyes on. Small gems shined on the stems of the roses and there was a thin spattering of gold glitter dusting the petals of the orchids, giving them an ethereal glow. The stems were tied together with a black ribbon that matched the bow on the top of the package and the vase was fashioned to look like a pillar from ancient Rome, painted black to match, of course. I lift the vase out of the box and set it on the counter, unable to look away as I'm completely captured by their beauty. Something at the base of the pillar catches the sunlight that has emerged from behind the clouds and sends beautiful rays of light splaying across the room. I find the culprit to be an intricately made dreamcatcher, clear gems nestled in the middle, attached to a thin, black leather band. It was… Perfect. Something that I would have chosen for myself in a heartbeat. Who in the hell had sent this gift? This was too much! It must have cost a fortune for the beautiful bouquet, not to mention the vase that had to have been customer ordered and the dreamcatcher jewelry- that alone probably cost more than one of my paychecks here at the shop. I couldn't just accept something like this from someone who obviously didn't know me very well since they had to have it delivered to the shop.

I check behind me, making sure that Lainey and Perry were still going through the shipment. I could hear them softly swearing and then the methodical _thud_ of boxes being moved. I turned back to the desk and gently pushed the flowers to the side before picking up the box and peering inside, looking for a note or a card of some sort. Nothing. I sigh and break down the box, shoving it in the recycling bin and returning to my examination. I was determined to find something to tip me off as to who had sent this to me.

Just as I was going to give up on finding anything, I see the corner of a gold envelope sticking out from the bottom of the vase. Someone had taped it very securely to the felt bottom of the vase, it was so weird that they had chosen that spot for the letter. There was a huge chance that I wouldn't have even found it. And what would have happened if I had just thrown the whole thing away? It seemed like such a big risk, especially if they had gone to all this trouble to send it to me in the first place. Obviously this person wasn't so sure they wanted me to know who they were. My thoughts automatically locked onto the thought of Paul, but I didn't see the logic in him sending me flowers after he had been the one to leave me in the middle of all but having sex. Shaking my head at the situation, I tore open the envelope and pulled out a white card with a small passage written in the center;

 _Meet me on the second bluff, 9PM tonight. I'll be waiting; always._

That was it. I flipped the card over and scanned the other side, looking for something that I had missed. I turned the card back over and reread the passage. Simon pops into my head, I remember mentioning to him at dinner that one time that my favorite spot in the whole world was the second bluff between here and La Push, though technically it was on the Reservation. It was shrouded by thick shrubbery and thickets of trees, a gigantic evergreen pine loomed over head and moss covered every inch of the trunk. There was even two old tree stumps that had been covered by cushy moss that was perfect to sit on and draw or just to think. It was peaceful. The possibility of it being Simon scared me but I also didn't want to snub someone that had gone to this much trouble to get my attention, Simon, Paul or someone else completely. Besides, if it was Simon, then I could tell him that I wasn't into him and close that chapter of my life once and for all and if it was Paul… Well then, I'm sure I would find out if my dad's dream was right. And it would certainly validate his feelings for me. My heart flutters as I think about him in love with me as much as it seemed I was in love with him, if that was possible.

I jump as the back door opens, revealing Perry and Lainey looking very satisfied. I groan internally and try to to picture my two best friends totally getting it on in the back of Perry's van, which happened more often than I liked to be reminded of. Lainey, who doesn't miss anything, zooms in on my flowers immediately and bursts into a loud barrage of questions. Perry threw me a sympathetic look before heading into the back to finish what they had started.

"Um, do you mind telling me who gave up and arm and a leg to send you these fucking gorgeous things?" Lainey asked and gaped at the flowers in awe, muttering something about Perry never sending her flowers. I shrug and lay my head down on the counter, my forehead resting against the cool surface. I watch out of the corner of my eye as Lainey picks up the leather band and examines it,

"What's this supposed to be?" She asks out loud and holds it up to the light in the center of the room for further analysis.

"I don't know, it's some sort of jewelry, obviously," I say and hold out my hand for her to return it to me. She holds it close to her chest and sticks out her tongue before circling around me, standing at my back. She pushes my hair so it rested on just one shoulder, I can hear her fumbling with the small gold clasp on the back of the leather band.

"So, I totally think it's supposed to be some sort of garter or armband but in my opinion it would look _super_ hot as a choker," she explains as the band fits snug but comfortably against the skin of my neck, I can feel the dreamcatcher resting at the hollow between my collar bones. Lainey spins me around on the chair and makes an appreciative sound before nodding enthusiastically. "Yep, I was right!" She exclaims in a singsong voice.

"Thank god you knew what to do with it, I had no clue other than it was beautifully made," I chuckled awkwardly, feeling weird that she had touched such a seemingly intimate gift. For some reason I just felt like it should be just me touching it, I grimace, since when had I become the whole 'it's mine and only mine' type of person? _Yikes_. And the fact that I felt like it was an intimate gift was a little more than creepy, honestly. For all I could know, it was from Simon, king of creepiness himself. I did not want anything intimate coming from him. Not in a million years.

"Did it come with a cute love letter?" Lainey inquires and scans the desk for one, I nodded and recited it, leaving out the last bit.

"'Meet me on the second bluff, 9PM tonight.' What would you do?" I ask, her opinion is basically going to be the turning point in my decision. I didn't know what the hell to do in a situation like this!

"Well I'd go, for sure. You never know what could happen. Especially if they didn't sign the note, the mystery is going to kill you unless you just go for it."

"You have a point," I nod and chew on my bottom lip while mulling over my two choices. "But what happens if it's a creepy serial killer?"

"Please, this is _Forks_ , for god's sake. What could possibly go so terribly wrong in Forks?" Lainey snorts and shakes her head at me, I blush.

"It could be Simon," I say, giving her a knowing look. She shivers and the nods,

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that meathead. But he wouldn't hurt you, even if it was him, I wouldn't be worried about your safety. You have Perry and I on speed dial so all you have to do is call us and we can come get you right away," Lainey reaches over and gives my shoulder a squeeze, "we've always got your back, babe."

"Okay, so say I'm going to go; I don't have anything to wear. Hell, I don't even know what I'm supposed to wear to something like this!"

"Come on, you don't think I would leave you high and dry in the outfit department, would you?" Lainey teased and pulled out her phone, showing me a picture of her in a tight black dress that I had never seen her wear before.

"That's new,"

"Eh, I bought it about three months ago but never wore it. It shows off too much of my love handles for my liking. But it's perfect for you and your tight body, girl. I've been meaning to give it to you for forever but always forget it sitting on the back of my couch. It goes with that choker perfectly and I can straighten your hair. It'll be perfect, babe"

" _Alright_ , I'll go. But you and Perry have to be ready to pick me up immediately if I text or call. I'm not setting myself up to be murdered or kidnapped or something crazy like that," I say and Lainey gives me a wide smile before holding out her hand for me to shake. I take her hand and accept the deal as it is, letting a small amount of excitement seep into my veins.


	5. Owner

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's another update since people have been so nice and reviewing and putting this story on their favorites list! Thank you guys so much for all the support!**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **I don't own Twilight, sadly. It's all SM!**

I run my fingers through my hair, admiring the work that Lainey has done. I have finally traded my beachy waves for stick straight locks, my blonde streaks shining even brighter than normal from the products she has used. I look so different, I can't remember the last time I had straightened my hair. It had to be more than three or four years ago. I like to embrace my curls but I look a lot more Native if I straighten my hair, which I used to want to hide but now I don't think I would mind embracing it more often. I look so grown up!

"Hey, girl, you're going to have to pay attention if we wanna get you ready in time. I still have to do your makeup and we have to figure out what's going to happen with your shoe situation. And we literally have twenty minutes to accomplish all of that," Lainey says and spins me around so I'm facing her. She looks like a mad woman, her lips are pursed and her eyebrows are knitted so tightly together they looked like one. I bit back my giggle and relaxed my face so she could work her magic. I really needed her to teach me how to apply makeup properly but I just never really had the time -or the interest- in reminding her that I needed such help. Lainey spent a ridiculous amount of money on makeup and I just didn't have that kind of money, well, not until I became a working tattoo artist. Then I would be making plenty of money to support an unhealthy makeup addiction.

"Thank god you have flawless skin because my pale ass foundation would make you look dumb as hell…" Lainey muttered under her breath as she orders me to close my eyes so she can apply some eyeliner and a pretty shade eyeshadow that was called 'fawn'. "Now we need to brainstorm what shoes you're going to wear. You can't borrow any of mine because your feet as so damn small," Lainey says to me and gives me a pointed look. I can tell she's getting stressed out by the way she's acting. She's always a bit brash but when she is under any kind of stress she turns it up about ten notches. I shrug to her earlier question and walk over to my closet, looking down at my measly shoe collection as I do.

I start to give up hope as Lainey chucks shoes at me to try on. Nothing was looking right. For some reason, black was the only color I _didn't_ own as far as it came to shoes, which is strange seeing as black was like the mascot color of my life.

" _Oh shit_! Damn, Kai, I didn't know you had it in you!" Lainey exclaims excitedly and emerges from my closet holding a black pair of thigh high boots made of shiny pleather. I had forgotten all about them. I had purchased them my senior year of highschool when everyone in my group of friends had been able to go to the 18+ club in Tacoma. I never got to go though, since my oldest brother, Alec, had caught me sneaking out of my bedroom window at eleven o'clock at night. Remembering how they fit when I purchased them, I grimaced and looked down at my legs. I had been about twenty pounds lighter in high school, most of the weight I had gained in my ass and legs. I highly doubted they would fit and even if they did, they would probably make me look like a blimp. But I knew by the look on Lainey's face that I was going to have to at least try.

I grudgingly took the shoes from her hands and began to put them on before Lainey grabbed my hand, I look up at her in confusion.

"Just wait a minute, I remember giving you a pair of tights that look like they have a garter belt attached. That would look _so_ cute! And I know you haven't worn them yet!" Lainey said and dug through my underwear drawer, pulling out the tights she was speaking about. I grimaced,

"I don't want to look like a whore, Laine…" I whine and shake my head at her but she just rolls her eyes and shoves them into my hands.

"Just put them on, they're super in style right now, babe. You really want to knock this guy dead, especially if he's hot as hell, and this is how you're gonna do it." She said and turned around so I could slip on the tights.

To my surprise, the shoes fit perfectly, more so than when I had worn them the first time. Lainey was totally right about the tights, of course, she never lead me down the wrong path when it came to style, or anything really. Lainey bids me goodbye and tells me to call if I need her or Perry for anything and that they'd wait up until midnight by the phone and then they would go to bed on the assumption that I had either made it home okay or I was still with this secret admirer. The latter of the two seemed highly unlikely but I guess you never know until it happens. Before I leave my apartment I stop and look in the mirror, the dress Lainey had gifted me was gorgeous, made of a clingy black material that hugged my curves nicely. Although, it made me wonder how black was considered slimming because my ass looked exceptionally 'fit', as Lainey would say, the front dipped down into a plunging v-neck that was fastened together by three ties across the opening. The dress ended mid-thigh and my boots rested just above my knees, letting the faux garter peek through just a bit. My straight hair made my cheekbones look sky high and brought out all of the angles in my face that I had kept hidden for so long but tonight, I was extremely proud of them. I was actually enjoying looking more Native than Polynesian for once and it was a nice change.

* * *

I sat in my car, clenching my fists tightly as I worked up the nerve to step out of the vehicle and make my way up to the second bluff. I look at the time, it's 9:03. If I kept them waiting any longer they were just going to leave and I would have missed my opportunity. Like Lainey said, I think I would regret it if I didn't at least go and find out who they were. With a sharp sigh, I square my shoulders and stuff my phone in my purse, making sure it's towards the top so it's easy to get to in case of an emergency.

The path up to the cliffs is a steep one and if I wasn't so used to climbing it I probably would have had to take off my heels but I had no trouble avoiding the thick tree roots that had surfaced over time and the muddy potholes made by the constant rain. My heart was hammering in my chest as I reached the top of the pathway, back on even ground again. I could see the soft glow of fire in the distance and my breath hitched in my throat as nerves scattered their way inside of me, butterflies setting flight in my stomach. Before I lost my adrenaline induced nerve, I called out to see if anyone was still there.

"Hello?" I wait for a moment with no reply and a pit starts to form in my stomach. Had they left already? I walk another foot or so into the woods, almost breaking the edge of the clearing. I can see the shadow of a tall man cast onto the bark of the pine tree that towered overhead. I gather myself and step into the clearing.

My breath squeezes out of my lungs and I feel myself lean into the nearest tree when I see who was sitting on the biggest of the two tree stumps. It's Paul. My heart soars and I can't quite believe what I'm seeing. Paul looks so good it should be outlawed, he is wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, on his feet are dark brown steel toe boots that have seen their fair share of work. His shirt is a deep red color, a button down with the top two undone, showing off the tops of his hard pectoral muscles. His smooth russet colored skin shone beautifully in the light of the fire. I study his face, it's dark and brooding features twisted into a frown as he looks up to the sky, as I finally take in a breath; he looks at me.

"Kai," he speaks my name like a drowning man's first breath of air after breaking the surface again. His eyes twinkle with intensity, it burns beneath the smooth chocolate color of his iris'.

"I-I'm glad it's you," I breath before I can stop myself from saying it, I blush deeply and cast my gaze to my surroundings. It was like something out of a fairy tale, he had set up what seemed like a million white and black candles, they were positioned in neat bundles of six or seven and they sat upon silver ornate plates, they cast an alluring glow on everything in the clearing. There were so many that the light from the moon was even dimmed by them. A dozen black roses were sitting on the seat next to where he was positioned. Soft piano music played in the background from an unknown source. It was absolutely breathtaking, so much so that tears welled in my eyes and I could feel my chest tighten at the beautiful gesture.

"You're the most beautiful woman in the world," he whispers and takes a series of slow steps towards me, each time he moves I watch his muscles ripple under his clothing and it sends shock waves through my body, the apex of my thighs tingle as my mind flashes back to him kneeling over me, his hot breath on my neck and his fingers entering my heat, bringing me to orgasm not only once but twice. Paul's eyes flutter close as he takes one last step towards me, I hear him inhale as he leans into me.

"Thank you for the beautiful flowers and the…" I pause and point to my neck where the leather band is fastened. Paul's eyes follow my motion and I can see him swallow, a low growl emitting from deep within him. "I'm not exactly sure what it's supposed to be but it fit perfectly around my neck and it looks gorgeous-"

"You look so fucking sexy, everyone will know you're mine when you're wearing that. How could I get so lucky?" He asks the last part under his breath and I shiver with delight when he calls me his. I don't know what it is but I get this thrill every time I think of him… What? Owning me? There's something so sexy about the possessive tone in his voice and it sends me to the edge every time. My breath is coming in short pants and I feel the world around me spinning slightly as I let euphoria take over my body.

"Paul, what's going on between us?" I ask breathlessly, trying to figure this out. I knew what I wanted but I needed to know what he wanted so I didn't get my hopes up higher than they already were. I was already hooked on this man and we had known each other for less than two days. Whether it was destiny or just a really intense connection, I knew that I was done for. This was going to be it for me and with that being said, I needed to know if I was going to get my heart broken. Some part of me thinks that he feels the connection too, he must. The way he acts around me and with what happened yesterday… I could feel his erection very clearly, he wanted me as much as I wanted him and if I hadn't let it slip that I was a virgin we would have already gone as far as we can go. That had to count for something, right?

He takes a step back and cups my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his line of sight. His grip on my jaw is tight, deliciously so, he's showing me who's in charge and I'm all for it. I wouldn't want it any other way.

"When I first saw you… _Fuck_ , I didn't know what to think. You caught me off guard, Kai. I thought I was in love with another girl but you showed me that I was very wrong. Seeing you in the tattoo shop, your beautiful body half naked, calling my name. I could tell that you wanted me even then and it was hard for me to walk away from that. It was unlike anything that I had ever felt before with a woman. From that moment on I was addicted, to you, everything about you. That night I dreamt about us being together and I didn't want to wake up because I knew that you wouldn't be by my side when I did. I felt like I had messed everything up when I had dropped you off at your house that first night. I was a fucking asshole for not giving you exactly what you needed. So then I came to you yesterday with the sole intention on speaking with you, to let you know that I was going to break up with my girlfriend that night and that I wanted to see where we could take things but I could smell- I could _feel_ that you needed more frim me. Again, I was a jackass, I didn't give you the respect that you deserved and I pushed you too far. And when I found out you were a virgin, that I had almost taken that precious gift from you without giving you the decency to have me when I was just yours and only yours… I was pissed at myself. I never used to care about shit like that but I found myself fucking disgusted that I had gone that far to outright disrespect you. After I left your house I broke up with my girlfriend right away, I couldn't stand the thought of being with her for another second when you had stolen every piece of me and more than what I was supposed to be giving her. Kai, I can't explain it but I just feel this- this need to… _Hell_ , I don't know how to put it into words." Paul said, he was grasping for the right words to say but I shook my head. He frowned and looked down at me with pain in his eyes, "I know this is a lot to process at once and I know you want to leave now, I can see it in your face-"

"No! Please, Paul. I know exactly what you're feeling because I feel the same but I need you to be honest, quit holding back. I can see it in your eyes that you are. I can handle it, I promise,"

"Baby, please, you don't want to see me when I'm not holding back," he said, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips but I could see something brewing deep within his eyes. Something smolderingly hot and primal, _there was that alpha male thing again_ , I think to myself and bite down on my lower lip.

"Show me, Paul, I want to see every part of you. I'm not scared," I whisper and take my chance in his stunned silence to lean in and press my lips to the side of his neck. I can feel his steady pulse begin to race as I apply more pressure and then pull away.

"You don't know what you're asking for," he growls low in his throat, a warning.

"I'm asking for you," I say simply and place my hand on his chest, roughly feeling his toned muscles and the beat of his strong heart, and with every dip and turn of this body I was more and more electrified with arousal. How could he do this to me so easily?

Without another word Paul scooped me up in his arms and walked out of the clearing, a giddy feeling fluttered in my stomach as I see a black truck emerge. I don't know how he did it but he powered through the woods and steered us towards the road with unnatural speed but I wasn't going to complain. All I wanted was to be alone with him, wrapped around him so tightly one couldn't tell where he began and I ended.

"Wait, what about all of the candles?" I asked, there were about five dozen candles blazing in the woods right now and I wasn't about to be responsible for a forest fire, no matter how much I wanted to get out of here with Paul.

"Don't worry about it," he said gruffly and places me in the passenger side of the truck while he walks over to the driver side and starts the engine.

"O-okay," I nodded and found it easy to push them from my mind. Paul had everything figured out, one of his friends was probably going to take care of them or maybe they were ones that somehow could put themselves out. Whatever it was, all I knew was that Paul was going to take care of it.

Paul's knuckles were white as he clutched the steering wheel, I peeked at him through the corner of my eyes. His gaze was fixed on the road, I could tell he was straining to keep them there. I let my eyes travel up his arms, across his chest and down to his thick legs, my breath hitched as I saw his erection straining against the coarse fabric of his jeans. I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes, he was not a small man by any means. I had never seen a penis in real life but I wasn't stupid and I could tell you for a fact that he was much, much bigger than the average man. I force myself to look out the window, training my eyes on the white line on the side of the road so I wouldn't get myself too worked up while in this close space but I couldn't help but feel like I needed to be closer to him. _What would he do if I leaned over and kissed the side of his neck?_ I think dreamily as I imagine him pulling over and kissing me wildly in a whirlwind of passion.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Paul spoke quietly, his tone deadly as he quickly glanced at me before returning his eyes to the road.

"Was I speaking out loud?" I ask him, mortified that I had not been able to keep my stupid mouth shut, I was going to have to watch myself better when I was around him.

Paul frowns. "I don't know…"

"Well, that's embarrassing," I mutter and he shakes his head, chuckling slightly.

"Baby, I don't want you to ever be embarrassed about speaking your mind, especially if it's as appealing as that was. But keep in mind that I have very little resolve when it comes to you so be careful of what you ask for and when. I don't want to hurt you. You're lucky that I was so focused on driving otherwise we would be in the ditch right now," he sends me a wicked grin and my heart paters uncomfortably hard against my chest, warmth floods my chest and sinks down to my womanhood. I squeeze my legs together and nibble on my bottom lip to distract myself. I feel like I was being suffocated with lust. The feeling was so thick in the air I could reach out and touch it.

Silence enveloped us again and I took that moment to dig through my purse and find my phone, I wanted to text Lainey and Perry to let them know not to worry about me, that I was in good hands for the rest of the night and it hadn't been creepy Simon waiting on the bluffs for me. Speaking of the bluffs, I had forgotten to pick up the roses that had been sitting on the tree stump. I frown sadly and Paul chuckles, reaching over and taking my hand in his before bringing it to his lips and pressing a small kiss to each of my fingers.

"If you liked your flowers so much, I will get you more. As many as you want, baby. I'm glad you liked them," Paul says and I look at him in confusion. I _know_ I hadn't said anything out loud about the flowers, there was no way. So how in the hell had he know that I was thinking about them?

"Paul, this is going to sound really weird but can you like read minds or something?" I ask, feeling silly as soon as the words are out. Paul tips his head back and laughs, it's a beautiful boyish laugh that sends my heart into a fit. He shakes his head,

"Of course not, baby girl," he says and then looks at me, "you're talking to me clear as day, I swear,"

"Hm, okay… Apparently you're making me lose my mind,"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet, baby. I promise you that," he says as lust and passion colors his voice, I watch as his erection twitches in his pants and I'm struck with the urge to touch it. Something that I wouldn't have even dared to think about had it been anyone else in the cab of the truck.

My mind is swirling with a million different thoughts but the one that sticks out the most is the one that needs Paul all over me immediately. Impatience riddles my body. _Just touch him, it's not like he's going to mind it_. The devious thought enters my mind and I smile to myself, I had a point. I squeeze my hands into fists to stop myself from acting on my urge but I can't stop as I reach over and place my hand innocently on his knee. I watch as his muscle contract, tightening at my touch. I get nervous, thinking that maybe I had misread his signals but then he releases his right hand from the steering wheel and places his hand over mine, smiling as he slides my hand farther up to rest mid thigh. He then gently runs the tips of his fingers from my hand to my shoulder so lightly that I almost dissolve into giggles but I'm able to keep my composure as he begins to massage my shoulder and neck lightly. It felt heavenly being his temperature feels so deliciously hot. I let my head tilt back as I moan from the amazing feelings he's giving me with just one hand in such an innocent spot. I wiggle, trying to find some relief as my clit throbs, swelling with arousal and intense need. Realizing that my hand had tighten around his thigh and I make myself ease up, not wanting to hurt him. I dare myself to look up at him, his eyes are dark, half lidded and I can tell that he's as drunk on the moment as I am. I feel relieved that I haven't done anything to turn him off, if anything, it's building more and more intense as we get closer to what I assume is our destination.

Curious as to where he's taking me, I look at the road for the first time in a while, noticing that we have crossed into the residential part of La Push. The small, cute houses passed us as we flew by, going way too fast for what the speed limit was. He didn't seem phased though, so I didn't think twice about it.

"Where are we going?" I ask, genuinely curious. Not that it mattered, I suppose. At this point I didn't really care where we went as long as I was with him.

"My place, it's not too much farther from here. Are you okay with that?" He asks, a hint of uncertainty entering his voice for the first time. I frown and look up at him with what I hope to be sincerity written clearly in my eyes.

"Of course! I trust you, Paul."

"Fuck, baby, you're killing me," he groans and applies more pressure to the heavenly massage that he is giving me. I moan, louder than last time as he works a particularly tight muscle. The feeling of his hands on my skin is an added bonus, his touch was so hot and firm that I had a hard time focusing on anything else now. "I love it when you moan, baby," Paul says quietly, like the thought was meant for just him. Actually, it sounded like it was all in my head but I could have sworn it had been him saying it. It was a weird sensation but I loved his words, they made me feel powerful. Like I had all the control even though he was the one in charge, clearly.

* * *

A few moments later we pulled into a small driveway to a fairly large house, bigger than all of the neighboring houses. It was cute but I could tell it was a man's house, there were no decorations or anything hanging outside, it was plain. I can't wait to see the inside.

"Is this your house?" I ask excitedly, completely intrigued and wanting to see more. Paul nods and runs his hands through his hair, something that I was beginning to associate with his nerves. It was cute to see a small bit of vulnerability through the tough exterior.

"Yeah, well… Half of it is. It's a duplex, a friend of mine and his fiancee rents the other side,"

"Oh, that's cool. It must be nice to live so close to your friend,"

"It's alright, he irritates the hell out of me sometimes but he's like a brother. I'm sure you'll meet him sometime soon, he's around a lot,"

"I'd love that!" I say earnestly and it melts my heart to see him smile so genuinely as he looks at me.

"You're so cute," he comments and shuts off the truck, getting out and opening my door for me. He helps me out and steadied me as I wobble slightly, I'm a little tipsy from the arousal that was still heavily impairing me as it ran through my veins. I can feel my panties are soaked and I can't help but move uncomfortably, I'm caught between feeling embarrassed and even more turned on than before. If that's even possible.

"Okay, fuck this. You're not walking." Paul mutters and sweeps me off my feet, carrying me bridal style down the path and up the stairs of his front porch, he looks down at me and gives me a wicked crooked smile and a wink. "Baby, you're gonna have to get my keys out of my pocket," he says in a strained voice and I look at him with wide eyes.

"A-are you sure?" I stutter, feeling heat creep up my neck, coloring my cheeks. It seemed like such a naughty thing to do, I would be so close to where I wanted to feel the most but I would have to control myself.

"We have to get into the house somehow," he's smiling widely, it's like he knows exactly what I'm thinking and feeling right now. I close my eyes for a moment and then open them again before reaching down into his pocket, I feel him go still as my fingers fish for the carabiner that his keys are clipped to. As I finally get ahold of them, I brush against something that I can only imagine is his manhood, which is twitches, straining to with hard arousal and emitting heat like no other as my hand nears it.

I pull the keys out swiftly and hold them up to show that I had gotten them but I notice that his eyes are closed and a painful look has crossed his face. My heart sinks, had I hurt him? I didn't think so but how was I supposed to know? I had never dealt with anything like this before…

"Paul?" I squeak, my voice cracking with worry.

"Yeah, baby, it's okay. You're just so fucking sexy, it's hard for me to control myself when you touch me like that." He says in a low, disgruntled voice that sounds like a growl around the edges. The fire inside of me is rekindled, more intense than it was before. "Unlock the door, baby girl, I want to get you inside. It's cold out here,"

"Okay. Which one?"

"The one with the green mark on it," he instructs and I shove it in the lock, twisting it. The door swings open revealing a fairly empty place. There's a couch and a recliner in the livingroom and a small flat screen TV on the adjacent wall. A large table is sitting in the dining room with two chairs that looked way too small for Paul to sit comfortably in. Down the hallway is what I assumed to be a doorway to the bathroom and one to what must be a bedroom. Paul brings me over to the couch and sits me down,

"Stay here for a minute, I'll be right back. I'm going to call my friend who can tow your car back to your place so you don't get a ticket. Do you need anything to drink, like water?" Paul asks and I smile at him sweetly. I hadn't even thought about my car and here he was, thinking for me. I loved that he cared so much.

"Oh my gosh, you're so sweet! I can pay for the tow truck, I should have thought about it. And as for the drink, do you have any wine?" I ask and he raises his eyebrows at my request,

"Do you think alcohol is the best choice right now?" He questions and I shake my head,

"Not particularly, do you think it's a good idea?"

"Hell no, not that I would mind if I got you a little drunk. Maybe you wouldn't be so shy,"

"As long as we both know that it's not a good idea," I smirk and motion for him to go away and get me my drink. He purses his lips before laughing and walking into the kitchen, pulling out his phone.


	6. Help

**A/N: Hey guys! It's been a while, hasn't it? But here's the update just in time for the Holidays! Just wanna to do a shutout to everyone who has continued reading and supporting me! Much love 3 Happy reading!**

The fact that I was standing outside Sam and Emily's house at seven in the morning, was bizarre enough, add on the fact that I was about to ask Emily for help picking out flowers to send to my imprint and we have a full on fucking freak show. The longer I stood there stalling, the stronger the urge was to pull off my clothes and phase, running away from my problems. Hell, that method has been working for me since I turned sixteen, why stop now? I sigh and pocket my keys, I _needed_ to do this. I highly doubted that Kai would ever give me another chance if I just walked into the shop and asked for one. I need to shove my pride out the window and just order some fucking nice flowers so I can at least see her and show her that I can be the man that she needs. Even though I'm not completely convinced of that fact myself. I was confident enough to break up with Rachel, which means that I better be pretty convinced because the sex was fucking mind blowing with Rach. I didn't see myself breaking it off with her anytime soon, honestly… That is, until Kai showed up.

 _Kai_ … God, she's fucking beautiful. I had a hard time believing that she's even from this planet. There's something so innocent but so _wild_ about her and I couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was those big green eyes that looked right through me and into my soul, or maybe it was something about her being from a different tribe, or at least I'm guessing she is. There's no way she isn't, her cheekbones and nose gave it away, strong and proud, making her face look so attractively angular it was almost painful to look at. I had to make her mine before someone else scooped her up. It was mindblowing to me that she was still a virgin and I'll be the first to admit that it kind of freaked me out. I had taken many virginities, it wasn't something I was afraid of but it bothered me that I was going to have to take something so precious away from her, especially since I was kind of a piece of shit. Scratch that, I definitely am a piece of shit. All the girls I had fucked, they meant nothing to me, even Rachel for that matter. I just didn't let myself feel anything more than lust for anyone and then Kai shows up and turns that on end. I can feel it deep inside me, the need to love her. The need to make her mine in every way and part of that was giving all the love that I had to her. Not that I had much… That's what concerned me. Would she be able to accept the fact that I wasn't capable of loving her as much as she may need? No matter how strong our connection was, I can only give as much as I have. _I'm scared as hell of not being enough for her_ , I think and grit my teeth. I feel a surge of emotion and I combat it by letting the wolf inside me come out a little. I start shaking and I can feel my judgement becoming more primal. Letting the wolf take over my mind was something that I had mastered. A lot of the guys felt it come over them when they got angry or they had some strong emotion but I could just call on it and it was there. I just let the guys think I had anger and control issues but the fact was it was totally intentional. Not that I could tell them that. I would be stuck on patrols with Sam all the damn time and I wasn't going to have that. Sam was cool but he was like a father to the rest of us guys and that really got on my nerves, and I couldn't ignore him since he was my Alpha.

"Paul? Are you alright?" Emily's concerned tone breaks through my thoughts and I look up at her, immediately feeling guilty that I was standing here, ready to phase at any moment and put her in danger. I wrangle my inner wolf and shove him to the back of my mind for now.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I just broke the mirror off my truck this morning, it pissed me off," I lie smoothly and her expression softens, there's humor twinkling in her deep brown eyes.

"I expect nothing less," she teased, "so what can I do to help you and your broken mirror?"

"Uh, actually I'm not here about my truck, Em. I, uh, came here for some advice,"

Emily's eyes widen as she descends the stairs, placing her hand gently on my shoulder, she gives me a concerned smile that she always saves just for me. "Are you okay?"

"Well, yeah. I think I'm okay, good as I can be given the situation," I admit and run my fingers through my messy hair. She narrows her eyes at me,

"Is this about your imprint?" _Of course she knows_ , I curse.

"Sam told you." It comes out as a statement rather than a question, Emily smiles guiltily at me.

"I kind of over heard him talking to Billy about it, it sounds like there's more going on than just imprinting, huh?"

"I don't know, Em, to be honest with you. Sometimes I get these random emotions that I normally don't experience and Sam thinks it has to do with her being from a different tribe."

"But Kim is half Makah and she doesn't have anything like that happening with Jared,"

"Shit, I don't know. It's just weird and not something I was prepared for. Hell, I wasn't even prepared to imprint at all, to tell you the truth."

"Paul, as much as I love Rachel and I loved you two being together, you deserve to be truly happy and that wasn't going to happen with her. I think the reason you and Rachel had so many problems was that Kai was so close, your body and mind knew it. You'd been to the tattoo shop more than once and she had to have been there somewhere,"

"I don't want to think about Rachel and Kai at the same time, it's unfair to Rachel." I say firmly and give Emily a stern look, she offers me an apologetic smile.

"Alright, that's enough of the emotional stuff. How about we go inside and get you something to eat, I can help you with whatever you came here for over some eggs and bacon."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day,"

"... So what you're telling me is that you want to get her flowers but you don't know what kind to get?" Emily asks, a comical look gracing her attractive features.

"Yeah," I groan as her smile grows wider and she stands, crossing the room over to one of the many book shelves lining the walls of the house. When she comes back she's holding a book about flowers and their meanings.

Emily shrugs. "What? I wanted to open up a flower shop at one point a few years ago,"

"I guess it's to my benefit today so I'm going to keep my comments to myself," I tease and open the book as she slides it over to me. I look up at her, not knowing where to start.

"You're hopeless," she says in a light tone and takes the book back, leafing through a few of the pages before landing on a flower called an orchid. "Orchids are beautiful and they represent love and strength, both of which I think are appropriate,"

The flower is beautiful and I see it comes in a lot of different colors. I nod my head appreciatively,

"Yeah, I like this one. I think she'd like it too, but I don't want just a shit ton of just one flower,"

"Okay, well roses are always a good way to go, they're beautiful and kind of poetic," Emily says, cocking her head to the side and flipping through the book. I look at all the colors they come in and my eyes land on the color black, something that, even in the short time I had known Kai, she had worn exclusively.

"Black roses would be cool, I guess. She wears black a lot," I say and Emily nods,

"Okay, so roses and orchids it is. I have a friend that works at the flower shop in Forks, I'll let her know and she'll have it done in about an hour or so," Emily says and offers me a smile and a light pat on the hand.

"Tell her to not worry about cost and make these flowers look like they're worth a million bucks, Kai deserves the very best," I say and Emily beams at me with her best smile,

"Oh Paul, I'm so glad you've finally found someone that makes you so happy!"

The fact that I was trusting Collin with something so critical was difficult for me to do. Add to the fact that the little fucker thought Kai was "hot as hell", and even though he's not wrong in his observation, it still irritated the fuck out of me. I can't wait to publically claim her as mine so everyone will back off. I don't know what it was but something about her just made me want to lock her up and keep her just for myself. I didn't even like that guy at the tattoo shop looking at her even though I knew that Lainey and him had been together for longer that Rachel and I had been. I guess that's what I get for fate to put me with the most gorgeous woman on the planet. God she is fucking perfect. Everything about her was exactly what I wanted in a woman, nice tits, curvy hips and thick thighs yet she had a flat stomach and she was tone, not an inch of extra anywhere. Her face was a beautiful blend of Native and something completely exotic that I couldn't pin point but it didn't matter, it suited her well and made her look one of a kind. The dark tone of her skin made her green eyes illuminate with the help of her thick dark lashes. She was so innocent too, not stupid; just innocent.

"Hey man, what's up?" Sam asks, exiting his office and walking into the shop area as I throw on my work shirt and settle into my station.

I shrug. "Who the fuck knows,"

"You can say that again," Embry mumbles from under a black Chevy Impala, he's cranking away at something on the underside.

"For fucking real," Jacob calls out in agreement.

"Were you at my house this morning?" Sam asks and I roll my eyes, of course Emily would tell Sam everything before I even had the chance to see him. I shouldn't have expected anything less. Jacob, Embry and Seth all stop working and gather around Sam and I, wanting in on the conversation about my personal life. I shouldn't have expect anything less from these fuck heads.

I sigh deeply and then reply. "Yeah, I had to ask a favor from your wife."

"She told me all about it. So, flowers, huh? You think that'll cut it?" Sam continues his line of fire questioning.

"I sure as hell hope so, I've been kind of a dick to her since I first met her so I've got a lot to make up for."

"I think you need something else to make it even better. If I've learned anything about women, it's that they love surprises almost as much as they love jewelry."

"So, you're telling me that I need to get my ass to a jewelers?" I say, going over what kind of jewelry I could get her without having to assume too much about size; and without looking too creepy. Rings would obviously be out.

"Yeah, I think you should. Ness loves it when I get her bracelets and those ankle bracelet things," Jake commented and I nodded, thinking it over. Kai didn't seem like much of a bracelet person, a lot of the times when I saw her at the shop she would be covered in paint and other art stuff so it would just get dirty. The only thing that was left would be necklace. Ah hell, I didn't know jack shit about jewelry.

"Actually, I need to get Emily a present for our anniversary next month anyways so I can come with you," Sam says and Jake makes a noise of agreement,

"I need to get Ness another charm for her bracelet, I've been meaning to for the last few weeks anyways, now I have an excuse."

"Okay, we'll all go but who's going to finish this beast?" I say and motion towards the diesel truck staring me down. Embry pulls out his phone,

"I'll call Seth, he can take a whack at it. You wanted to train him how to fix trucks anyways, he may as well start now. I'll be here if he needs anything, and Quil can finish Jake's project when he gets here in the next hour or so," Embry said and slid back under the car after waving us away.

Well damn, it looked like I was going to go to the jewelry store.

If you would have asked me a week ago if I had ever expected to be in a jewelry store, I would have said hell no. Even with the fact that Rachel and I were on the mend before Kai came into the picture, I wasn't planning on proposing or anything anytime soon. Rachel enjoyed clothing more than she liked jewelry anyways, and sometimes it was the clothes that really cost me. It was fucking weird though, I didn't feel an ounce of hesitancy as I pulled out a couple hundred bucks from my savings account. I was actually kind of excited to pick something out for her, which was a completely new feeling. I never really thought I would ever be the type to be excited over something like this. It seemed a little too girly for my style but I didn't care, I would do anything to make Kai see that I wasn't such an asshole, contrary to what I've already done to make her think that's exactly what I was.

Fairmann's Jewelers was at the very edge of Forks, it took us about a half hour to get there. The whole while we were in the car, we had to listen to Jake recounting Ness' dance class in full detail, telling us how her form has been improving and all that dance talk. Whatever. The point was that it was super fucking boring and I just kept thanking whoever is out there making the decisions that I landed on such a perfect woman. I keep saying it because it's totally fucking true. She's perfect.

We walk into the store, Jake gets immediately distracted by a bracelet that's way too damn far out of his price range and Sam makes his way over to the rings, leaving me standing stupidly in the middle of the room. Thankfully, a worker spots me floundering around and comes to help. She's pretty and young, long blonde hair and a pale skin, I wouldn't even place her in her mid twenties yet. She was definitely making eyes at me.

"Hey there! Who are we shopping for? Your mom? Sister?" She asked and looked me up and down.

"I'm actually looking for a necklace for my girlfriend," I said smoothly and glanced around to see where Sam and Jake had snuck off to. They were both leaning over a case with a small tear drop pendant arguing over who saw it first.

"Oh. Necklaces are over there," she said flatly and pointed towards a case filled with glittering pendants.

I walk over and examine the case, everything is overpriced for what they're selling and nothing like what I wanted for Kai. She deserved something so much better than a mass produced necklace sold where anyone could get their hands on an exact copy. That's when realization came over me. I could just go to Leah. She made jewelry and could use the money to start up the shop she had been working towards. I'd feel less weird buying it from Leah, anyways. And I could tell her not to make anything else like it for anyone else. The question was how soon she could get it done. I wanted to send out the flowers today and it would be nice to send the necklace along with it. I sighed, I would just have to take my chances.

"Find anything?" Sam asked from the register, he was buying the necklace that he and Jake had been arguing over. He apparently had won. Jake looked irritated as he pointed to a necklace that was similar in style but had a square aquamarine color stone hanging from a silver chain. The other worker began ringing him up. I shook my head,

"No, I think I'm going to see what Leah has made up,"

"That's a good idea, I forget that she wants to open up that art shop." Sam nodded and joined me by the exit while Jake was finishing up. Sam leans over to me, "too bad you imprinted, I think blondie over there likes you." Jake hears the exchange thanks to our wolves enhanced hearing and starts to laugh. I shake my head and walk out of the shop before I turn into a wolf and rip him to pieces. Something about Jake just pissed me off, probably because he was still in love with that stupid leech lover, Bella. He was one big dumbass if you asked me, even if he was pretty much my superior. I'm just glad Sam still held the position of Alpha in my case. I don't think I could listen to Jake's inner monologue for every long.

Sam drops Jake off at Ness's house on our way back and I'm relieved that we did. I didn't want Jake and Leah to gang up on me while I broke the news of my imprint on Leah. She would no doubt be mad that I had joined the 'imprint club' as she would call it. Leah had thought she had imprinted on her current girlfriend, Hannah, but Sam had dispelled that and she had been bitter every since. I felt a little guilty because Leah and I had made a promise that imprinting wasn't for us and that we were going to be happy without it but now I had gone and gotten myself into my current situation. She wasn't going to be happy, I don't think. But she would have to suck it up because nothing was going to change, I was accepting my imprint and there wasn't anything she could do about it. I didn't want anyone to come in between Kai and I for as long as I could help it. It was her and I. Forever.

After I had sent the flowers with Collin, I regretted it. Not because I didn't want to send them but because I didn't want to have to wait until tonight to see what was going to happen, or if she was even going to show up. Fuck. My hands shook and I couldn't concentrate on the work at hand. Draining the oil on one of the cars that had come in, I had forgotten to put down an oil pan and it spilled everywhere. I lost my half inch drill bit somewhere and I had yet to recover it. I was a fucking mess. I was never a mess as far as work went but that's what Kai did to me. She made me go mad. Everything about her was running through my mind, leaving no room for anything else. Her beautiful multicolored hair, curvy body and those eyes that saw right through my eyes and into my soul itself. And that _tattoo_. Fuck. It was so exotic and made her look like a tribal woman, strong and proud and I loved it. I was so dedicated to the tribe that seeing her wearing our tribal designs on her body made me hard as fuck because I was that dedicated too. It didn't make me feel weird for having the tribal wolf crest on my arm, the one that signaled that I was a shifter.

Miraculously, I was able to finish two of the smaller jobs that I had to get done today and Sam let me leave a little earlier than I would normally have be able to. I think he noticed that the best mechanic in the shop was feeling a little fucked up. The best mechanic being me. I didn't like to be cocky- actually, yes I did. I was the fucking best mechanic if I was being completely honest, but I trusted Seth to finish what I had started and I knew that he wouldn't completely fuck it up. Not like Quil or Jake would. I walked over to the sink and washed my hands and then grabbed my shit, wanted to get the hell out before Embry could let it slip that I had gone out and went full romantic freak for my imprint. It wasn't something that I wanted to talk about right now. Especially since it was completely out of character for me to be doing some shit like that.

"See ya, Paul. Remember, you have patrol in the morning," Sam called to me as I left the shop. Like I could fucking forget that I had to patrol in the morning. I had been doing the morning patrols for three years, I was always the one you could count on to be there and that wasn't going to change just because I had found the love of my life. Once I knew that she was going to accept me, everything would be better and I would be able to concentrate.

Kai was in my living room. And I was about to serve her wine. I must be a fucking idiot. My dick was doing all the thinking, obviously. Giving Kai alcohol right now is completely insane and I was going to go to hell in every religion. I was in limbo. If I gave her alcohol I wasn't going to be able to tell her about the imprint; I wanted to make sure that she remembered everything that I was going to tell her. On the other hand, if I gave her the wine, she would loosen up and I would probably make love to her- making love? Is that what I was going to call it now? Fucking sounded wrong. I didn't want to fuck her. I wanted to show her how high I could take her with my love and need for her. Who the fuck was I?

"Paul?" Kai called out uncertainly, her clear voice wavering slightly. Well, I needed to make a decision sooner or later. Fuck it. I grabbed the bottle of wine from the top of the fridge, I winced a little when I remembered that it was the stuff that Rachel had bought us for a date night a while ago but we hadn't gotten to drinking it. We just went straight through to the sex.

"Yeah, I'm coming, baby." I said and looked at my reflection in the kitchen window. I barely recognized myself, I was smiling from ear to ear and I had this predatory look in my eyes that almost scared me. I recognized that this must be what I looked like when I was horny as fuck. I was really surprised that Kai hadn't ran off, she seemed like she was so innocent could be flighty, but I was going to take that as a good sign and not press my luck.

I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. _Here it goes, now or never._


End file.
